Lady in Red 4: Sinners and Saints
by Northern-Southern Belle
Summary: Stella Salvatore and a long-lost love of Selina's descend on Mystic Falls bringing secrets with them, some of which are best left buried...DamonxOC
1. Little Miss Can't Be Wrong

Disclaimer: Only original characters and situations belong to me.

A/n: And now begins the story I've been waiting write ever since the "Family Ties" premiere…

The strumming of a lute filled the air as people strolled around munching on turkey legs and drinking wine. A woman with long black hair done up in a knot, a crown on her head and a blue off-the-shoulder ball gown sat on a throne away from the hubbub, watching it with an amused grin. As a jester came by, trying to keep three balls airborne and failing, she burst into laughter.

"What's so funny, your highness?" asked the man on the throne next to her. "If it's Billy, I don't see how he can continue to amuse you day after day. He's not trying to be comical, you know. He's just clumsy, that's all."

The young woman stopped laughing, looked at him, and gave him a small smile. "It's not just Billy," she said. "It's all of this. It's highly inaccurate. _That's_ why I laugh every day," she said.

"Oh," the young man, who just happened to be the king, said. "Are you a history major? Or were you? Perhaps we can put your thoughts to the sponsors and see what they say."

The queen rolled her eyes and patted the king on the arm. "Would you relax, Robert? I was only joking of course." She looked up at the banner hung high on two poles over the festivities: **Winter River Theatre Company presents A Weekend in the Renaissance, Richmond Virginia, November 10-13.** "This really is _such _fun. Don't pay attention to me." She squirmed. "Would you mind watching out for the boss for me? I have to run to my dressing room really fast."

He nodded. "Would you like me to get one of your ladies in waiting to help you with your dress, or will you be fine on your own, Stella?"

She gave him a wink. "Thanks for the thought, but I should be fine on my own. I've had quite a bit of experience in dresses like these."

Robert nodded. "All right, whatever you say. See you when you get back."

Stella headed to her dressing room, which was contained in a building put far back from the action of the fair. When she was safely inside, she shut the door behind her and took a deep breath. "Good God," she whispered. She walked to the mirror and stared into it, bracing herself against the sink. "When will this end? I can't do it anymore." The lighting in her dressing room only emphasized how pale she was and made the dark blue of her eyes even more striking, especially when it was contrasted with the lighter blue of her gown. She turned on the faucet and ran her hands under the warm water, splashing some on her face. As the water dripped back down into the sink, there was a knock on her dressing room door. Stella straightened up and took a seat on her sofa. "Come in," she called. A few seconds later, Robert entered, pushing a lock of his red hair out of his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Stella shifted position slightly. "I don't think I can do this anymore," she said. "I'm worn out."

"Well that doesn't surprise me," Robert said. "This is what, your third tour with us? It's perfectly reasonable for you to want a break by now. And actually, the boss was going to tell you tonight, but we're readying your understudy to come with us to Raleigh, so you can go wherever it is that you call home and have a nice break."

Stella smiled. "It'll be nice to see my husband again. And my brother-in-law. And my sister."

"You're married?" Robert asked interestedly. "For how long? Newlyweds?"

"Yes," Stella nodded. "My parents were against it at first since I'm so young, but we eloped."

"This is probably none of my business," Robert continued, "but it must be nice to have a husband who supports your ambitions. It would be hard for most guys to let their wives go away for weeks at a time, especially if they'd only just married them."

Stella laughed. "My husband and I are kind of unusual in that we actually get along better if we _don't_ spend a lot of time together. We're both independent-minded, passionate people and to act married all the time is much too conventional for us. But we write, text, phone. It works."

"But you're going to see him this weekend?"

"Yeah, I think I am," Stella said. Robert's eyes traveled to the clock on the wall. "I better get back into the fray." He stood up. "I'll be along in a minute," Stella told him. "I just need to get my thoughts together."

Robert nodded. "I'll be waiting for you."

As soon as he was gone, Stella's phone rang. "Hello?" she said, putting it up to her ear.

"_Carina_," the voice on the other end was velvety and ironical and it made her shiver. "How's the slumming going?"

She laughed. "I'm not slumming, I'm working. And it's going well. But I think I've reached the end of my rope."

"What are you doing now?"

She cleared her throat. "Nothing special. Being the queen at a Renaissance Fair." He burst out laughing. "You're never happy unless you're ruling something, isn't that so, _Bella_?"

"Ha, ha," she said. "I was planning on coming home this weekend for a visit. Are all of you ready for me?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I suppose." She rolled her eyes. It sounded like he was smirking. "I was thinking about something else too," she said carefully. "What's that?" he asked.

"Well," she continued, "since you and I are on better terms now, I thought I'd try and get the necklace back."

"You mean the one that was my mother's?"

She nodded even though he couldn't see it. "Yes, that one."

"But you haven't seen it for _years_. How could you possibly know where it is?"

"Trust me, I know," she told him. "We're in Richmond right now, and the necklace is with some of our descendants in a town called Mystic Falls. Or at least it _was_. Now I have to do damage control."

"Well, where is it now?"

She smiled ruefully. "Katerina Petrova has it. You remember her, don't you?"

"Unfortunately, yes I do." The voice at the other end of the line had become subdued. "I remember her all too well."

"So," Stella continued, "I have to go to this Mystic Falls and help them get it back."

"You aren't going to ream them out too badly for losing it, are you?"

"Of course not," Stella said. "They're all young and Katerina is a sneaky, manipulative bitch. I knew she'd get a hold of the necklace sometime."

"But you're going to come back once you get the necklace?"

"Of course," Stella said.

"All right," he told her. "_Buona fortuna. Ti amo, Carina."_

She smiled. "_Grazie, mio caro. __Fino a che non ci incontriamo ancora."_

"Yes," he said. "Until we meet again. Try not to get into too much trouble beforehand. Do you promise me?"

She laughed. "I make no definite promises, but I'll try." She looked up at the clock. "I have to go now, but I'll call again soon. That's one promise I _can_ keep. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, _Carina._" Stella snapped her phone shut and sighed. If anything, that little conversation had made her feel worse. She adjusted her skirts one last time and left her trailer, running into Robert on her way out. "There you are," he said. "You've missed the beginning of the joust. They were going to send a search party after you."

"Sorry," Stella said. "My husband called."

"Oh," Robert said, taking her arm. "Did the two of you have a nice chat about this weekend?"

"Yes," Stella said. "We did. But before I see him, there's some other family I need to visit. Robert, do you know the location of a town called Mystic Falls?"

"Sure," he said. "If you head out right after the show, you could be there in a couple of hours. I'll write out directions as soon as we're finished."

"Thank you," she smiled. "You're a big help."

After the festivities ended for the day, Stella changed out of her dress, folded it up, put it back in the box and put the box in the trunk of her car. "I'm gonna have to remember to thank Ella for that," she whispered.

"I got the directions to Mystic Falls," Robert said. "Usually you'd go on the interstate, but they're doing construction, so you'll have to take a detour and that'll add on a few extra minutes, but not many."

Stella smiled. "Thanks again." She took the directions from him and got into the car. She flipped through the channels on the radio before arriving at the one that did "songs from the 90s until today." The song ended and the next one came on, one that she thought perfectly illustrated her personality: Bitch, by Meredith Brooks. She began to sing along "I'm a bitch, I'm a tease, I'm a goddess on my knees, when you hurt, when you suffer, I'm your angel undercover. I've been numb, I'm revived, can't say I'm not alive. You know you wouldn't want it any other way…" she turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. She was on her way.

* * *

"Are you positive that Stella won't be mad at us when she figures out that we lost the necklace?" Selina asked.

"No," Damon said. "Stella has many good qualities and her sentimentality is one of them."

"Sentimentality?" Selina asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Damon said, "remember how before she died, she and her husband had two kids? Well, losing them scarred her in a way, so now she has this weird need to take care of people, even if she knows they're perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. She also has problems admitting that she's wrong, or that people other than herself are capable of making competent decisions without her input."

"So she's a motherly type?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Damon nodded.

"Just my luck that when Isobel became a vampire she didn't feel such things," Elena said.

"Oh, come on," Selina said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "What do you need her for? You've got us!"

"Just how did you find all this out about Stella?" Stefan asked.

"We've gone out for drinks a few times," Damon said. "She can be real fun when she wants to be."

"Well there's an image I won't get out of my head for quite awhile," Selina said.

"It's not like that," Damon said. "There's no way she'd let it get that far. I was in fact, referring to karaoke, not sex."

"Oh," Selina said. "Right, I knew that. Now, about the necklace…"

Damon sighed. "If she comes looking for it, if we tell her what happened and say that we're sorry, she'll look at us with pity and say something along the lines of 'you're young and she's evil. It's not your fault she tricked you. It's a good thing there's someone experienced and capable like me to get you out of this horrible hole you dug yourself into".'

Selina smirked. "She sounds like such a head case."

"Maybe a little," Damon conceded. "But we _need_ her if we want to defeat Katherine."

Just then, they heard the honking of a car horn outside. "Who could be visiting us?" Selina asked, hurrying to the window. "Especially at this time of night?" She looked out the window, squinting into the fading daylight. "Who do we know that drives a red Lamborghini Diablo?"

"Speak of the devil," Damon whispered. "It's Stella. She's here."

"Oh, my God," Selina breathed. She followed Damon to the door. At the first ring of the doorbell, he pulled the door open to reveal Stella, now clad in a short black skirt, a red top, a leather jacket, and silver stiletto heels. "Hi Junior," she said, grinning at Damon. "I haven't seen you in ages. Did you miss me?"


	2. Where You Are

"It really _has_ been quite awhile," Damon said. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure," she nodded. "Thanks. "And I think the last time was, oh, maybe twenty years ago? Twenty-five?" She stopped short and stared at the three people who were sitting on the couch and staring at her in something like awe. "Junior," she asked Damon, "what's wrong with them? Why are they looking at me like that?"

"We thought you were dead," Selina said after a moment. "Damon told us you were dead."

"Why'd you do that?" Stella asked Damon.

He shrugged. "I have no idea. Well, actually I do. I didn't think you'd actually come back and visit."

"And why did you think I wouldn't?" Stella asked. "I like to keep an eye on things, although I _do_ admit that I shirked a hundred and forty-five years ago and look what happened."

Damon turned to Selina and mouthed "see? I told you." He then turned back to Stella, who was looking at him in consternation. "Don't look at me like that," Damon said. "That's how my father used to look at me."

"Well what do you expect?" Stella asked, sitting down. "It hurts that you're keeping me a secret from people who have the right to know."

Damon threw up his hands. "All right, I'm sorry."

Stella nodded. "Okay." She eyed the other three, and then looked back at Damon. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"You know who they are," Damon said. "When you possessed Selina and made her attack Katherine, you made that perfectly clear."

Stella's eyes widened. "I forgot that you were there for that."

Damon smirked. "I believe your exact words were 'stay out of this, Junior, it's not your affair'."

"Well, it wasn't," Stella said reasonably.

"How is it not my affair?" Damon asked. "Katherine screwed me over as much as she did you."

"Oh, please," Stella scoffed. "What did she keep you from?"

"It took us 145 years to get married because of her," Selina said quietly.

Stella sobered. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess you _did_ go through something, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "But things are all better now." She paused. "What about you?" she asked. "Can I ask what Katherine did to you?"

Stella sighed. "We were friends once," she said. "If you can believe that. Our fathers knew each other first and thought we would get along so whenever they would have their little get-togethers, they'd bring us along. Then, she got turned into a vampire; don't ask me how because I can't tell you. Soon afterward, the pope got it into his head that all vampires needed to be exterminated. The only problem was, he was terrible at recognizing a genuine vampire, and for some reason, he thought the average layman would be better at it, so he sent out a proclamation from the Vatican, saying that whoever could catch and bring in real, live vampires would get a handy sum with his gratitude." She laughed humorlessly. "So, as you can imagine, after _that_ news got out, people imagined that they saw vampires everywhere. Hardly any of them were genuine. But the pope's staff would make up some reason to kill anyone who was given to them, even without genuine proof.

"Naturally, Katherine was terrified of being found out. Then, one day it happened. My father's mother (I refuse to refer to her as my grandmother. She was a monster and that is much too affectionate a term,) caught her feeding and threatened to turn her in unless she did something for her."

"What did Katherine have to do?" Selina asked.

"Does this have something to do with why you abandoned our ancestor and married some other guy in Germany?" Stefan added.

"_What?_" Stella said, looking dumbfounded. She glared at Damon. "Is that story still going around? Where'd you hear it from?"

"Our father," Stefan said simply. "He told us that you left one night without a word and then several weeks later, your husband received a note from you saying that you'd decided to marry another man and that you never wanted to see him or your kids again."

"I _did_ write the note," she admitted. "But it was only because my father's mother told me that she'd kill me if I didn't. I thought that if I wrote the note, not only would it keep me alive, but once my husband read it, he would figure out that something was horribly wrong and come and rescue me."

"But didn't he do that?" Selina asked. "I had a dream where he did. And then you went and spent the night with your brother before heading back to Florence."

Stella sighed. "If only that was what happened. That's what I always imagine when I get depressed," she said. "It really cheers me up to think about the lovely _schloss _on fire."

"Wait," Stefan said. "You really loved our ancestor? You didn't want to leave him at all?"

"Yeah," Stella nodded. "I _do_ love him. So much. Although you wouldn't think it to watch us. To the casual observer, it would seem like all we do is fight."

"Do?" Stefan asked. "He's still around too?"

"Yeah," Stella nodded. "How do you think _I _got turned?"

"Your husband turned you?" Selina asked. "That's so romantic! Damon turned me the second time around too!"

"The second time?" Stella repeated. "What do you mean by that?"

"That's a long story," Damon said quickly. "Let's continue with yours: what happened the night you became a vampire?"

"Well," Stella began, _"two months after I sent the note, I'd still heard no word from my husband and was preparing to resign myself to either an unhappy marriage that would hopefully end in a merciful death after childbirth, or from the beatings that my father's mother's henchmen gave me every day. Then, one night I was awakened from my uneasy sleep by the sound of someone coming into my room. It was a young man, and without a word, he put his hand over my mouth and ordered me not to scream. I nodded and tried to relax, initially assuming that he was a new guard and that it had been decided that I would have beatings at night too, but he didn't hurt me. Then, moonlight hit him and I saw that it wasn't a guard, new or otherwise, at all. It was my brother, come to rescue me. He and a group of loyal servants put me in a carriage that took us to the docks. They got me on the boat, but the entire ride back to Florence, they prayed for my soul every night in case I died while en route. When we arrived back at the estate, I was still alive, but just barely. Johan had had a doctor come and examine me. He looked me over and told my brother that he was amazed I was still alive at all, considered how badly injured, malnourished, and dehydrated I was. It came as no surprise to my brother when he was told I wouldn't live much longer._

'_At least she's home where she belongs,' he said, running his fingers through my hair. Just minutes later, my father-in-law appeared. Johan asked him to go get my husband so Damon could come and tell me goodbye. My father-in-law's face crumbled. 'That's not possible,' he whispered. 'My sons are dead.' He cast a sorrowful look at me. 'At least they will not be alone in death for long.' He took my hand and kissed it gently, then left the room. As soon as he was gone, I looked at my brother. 'My husband and brother-in-law are dead,' I whispered. 'What point is there to living anymore?' At that moment, the door to my bedroom opened and a small figure charged in. 'Zio!' he cried, launching himself at my brother. 'Nonno told us you were back with Mama. Where is she?'_

'_Gianni,' my brother said quickly. 'Go back to your nurse. You shouldn't be in here.'_

'_No,' the little boy shook his head vigorously. 'I would like to see Mama.' _

"_Before my brother could do anything more, the little boy's eyes traveled to the bed, where I lay prostrate. 'There she is,' he said. 'What's the matter with her?'_

'_Your mother's very ill,' my brother told him. 'The best thing for you to do is to go back to your nurse and let your mother recover.'_

"_My son motioned for Johan to put him down. Gianni then walked over to my bed and asked his uncle to lift him up so that the two of us were level. He gave me a kiss on my gaunt, sunken cheek and told me goodbye. Then, he left the room. It was the last time, in my human life, that I ever saw him._

"That is _so sad_," Selina broke in. "Reminds me of how I felt when Damon went off to war. I wanted to die then too. But what does all this have to do with Katherine?"

"Be patient," Stella said, giving her a smile. "I'm literally just getting there. _A few nights later, the servant that tended my fire had just left when I heard this tapping at my window. Alarmed, I sat up as much as I could. 'Who's there?' I called. 'What do you want?' At that moment, the curtains parted, and to my surprise, there was my husband. 'Hello, _Carina_," he said. 'Could I come in for a moment? You and I have some urgent business to attend to.'_

'_Come in?' I said, confused. 'How can you be here? Your father told Johan that you and Stefan were dead!'_

"_He just laughed at me. '_Bambina_, he said, 'the list of things my father is wrong about grows longer by the day. If you would just let me in, I will explain everything to you.'_

'_Do you promise?' I asked. He nodded. 'Yes, I promise.' So I let him in. 'Now,' he said. 'I would like to know how this happened.' He gestured at me._

'_I will tell you,' I said, 'after you explain why you're still here when your father believes you to be dead. I don't deny that he's often wrong about things, but this time he seemed incredibly certain.'_

'_Because of your friend Katerina,' he said. 'When I received the note saying that you wished to stay in Germany and marry that other man, I initially thought it was just a cruel joke. Then Katerina came to stay and I asked her if she knew anything about your whereabouts, and she told me you were happy as you were and that I was not to interfere.'_

'_And you sought comfort in her arms,' I finished. 'I was in Germany getting beaten to death because I love you and instead of coming to rescue me, you were seeking comfort in the arms of my best friend.'_

'_I'm sorry,' he said. 'It's not like that. 'If I had known you were in trouble, I _would _have come to rescue you. Why do you think I've come now?'_

"_I stopped talking then. For a moment, I just gazed at him. At his perfect cheekbones, his beautiful black hair, his eyes, which mostly showed contempt or willfulness, but usually showed love for me. Now his expression was reproachful and indignant. 'I'm sorry,' I said. 'I didn't know.' He cleared his throat. 'It's all right,' he said. 'You're all that matters now.'_

'_What are you proposing to do?' I asked._

"_He smiled. 'What do you think?' he said. 'I've come to stop you from dying and there's only one way to do that.'_

"_It suddenly dawned on me what he was talking about. 'Are you proposing that I should become a vampire?' I asked._

'_Yes,' he said simply. 'Let me do this for you. It hurts me to see you so weak. Let me save you as I couldn't save my mother.'_

"_I thought a moment. Then, I shook my head. 'No,' I said. 'I can't. I think I would rather be dead.'_

"_His face fell. He obviously wasn't expecting me to refuse him. 'What is the meaning of this?' He asked._

'_I can't let you turn me into a vampire,' I repeated. 'It's not right.'_

'_What do you mean 'it's not right?' he asked me. 'What could be more right?'_

"_I sighed. 'I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I was out living a carefree existence while our children were still here,' I said. 'They need me.'_

"_He came over to my bed and took my hand. 'You're dying, Carina,' he said. 'Whether you die or come with me, either way, you aren't any good to them anymore. But I still need you. Please come with me. We could be together forever.'_

"_I almost caved at that point. Then, I heard the crying of our other child, our little girl Andria who'd just recently been born. 'I can't,' I said at last. 'I'm sorry.'_

"Wait a minute," Selina broke in again. "Your husband came to you, apologized, offered to save your life, told you he loved you and needed you, and that he wanted to be with you forever and you turned him down? Are you insane?" she asked seriously. "And what did he mean when he said 'I want to save you as I couldn't save my mother?"

"Not insane," Stella shook her head. "Just too serious for my own good. At least at that point." She looked at Selina knowingly. "If you would have been able to have children of your own, you'd understand what I was going through. It wasn't as simple as you might think. My own mother-in-law died when my husband and brother-in-law were very young, and it's something that my husband's never really gotten over."

"But your husband _did_ have a point," Stefan said. "You were _dying._ Did you think that you were going to magically get better just because you had children to look after?"

"I hoped so," Stella said. "Or maybe I was just being cowardly. I figured that if I allowed myself to die, I wouldn't have to choose between my husband and my children. Because I knew I couldn't have both."

"What did your husband say after you refused him?" Elena asked. "Did he get angry?"

Stella bit her lip. "I thought he would, but to my surprise, he didn't. _Instead, he just gazed at me sorrowfully. I knew he had accepted my decision as final. Or so I thought. 'I'm surprised at you, Bella,' he said. 'Usually you are such a fighter. I've never known you to just lie down and blindly accept the inevitable. Or maybe it's me. Maybe I'm just not worth anything to you anymore. Ever since we had our children, you've changed. You used to have a fire in you. You challenged everything, took nothing at face value, no matter who said it. You knew yourself. You lived for yourself. Now, I bet you wouldn't _breathe_ if you thought it would hurt somebody else. You've become just as bad as my brother.'_

"_That made me see red and gave me the strength to sit up a little. 'Oh, really?' I told him. 'Well that's where you're wrong. I'm just the same as I always was.'_

_He smiled a smile of challenge. 'Oh, yes?' he said, his eyes twinkling. 'Prove it!'_

'_All right,' I nodded. 'Change me and I will.' _Stella sighed. "And that's exactly what he did. We didn't complete the transformation right away. I had to heal first."

"Were your parents suspicious when you suddenly got better?" Selina asked.

"No," Stella shook her head. "They were more relieved than anything else. And of course my father's mother was over the moon. She was planning my wedding to the fiancé that she chose for me. Because my husband was now dead, my father was forced to agree to the marriage."

"What was your grandmother's problem with your husband?" Stefan asked.

"It was mainly the fact that he wasn't German," Stella said. "In my father's mother's twisted world, nice German girls marry nice German boys and have lots of nice German babies. I swear, if Hitler and the Nazis had been around to recruit in the fifteenth century German states, she would have been the first on their bandwagon." Stella shuddered.

"If that's what she believed, then how come you're part Italian?" Elena asked.

"My father went to Florence on a soul-searching mission as a young man and met my mother. Then, because he knew his mother wouldn't approve, they married in secret and didn't tell her until the deed was already done and she couldn't do anything about it," Stella said.

"So," Selina broke in, "You now have an arranged marriage to a German guy you don't like. Continue please."

"It wasn't that I didn't like him," Stella said. "He was perfectly nice. But I didn't _love_ him. He had no passion; just tradition and rules and blind obedience. But I digress._ As soon as I found out that I was to marry Wilhelm (that was the other man's name), I made arrangements with my husband to get me away as soon as possible. Wilhelm and I were to be wed on Christmas Day, so Damon gave me his blood on Christmas Eve. Then, he gave me poison and one of the maids found me the next morning. Soon after, they had a funeral for me, and every living person I knew and loved was in attendance. A few days later, just like Juliet, I awakened in my tomb. Only unlike Juliet, my Romeo was alive (in a sense) and waiting for me. As soon as he was certain that I was all right, he took my hand, and we ran off into the night."_

"Oh, my God," Selina said. "That's so great! So the two of you have been together in love all this time? You're a lot luckier than we were."

Stella frowned. "My goodness, Junior. Did you let Katerina mess you up too?" Damon opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Never mind," Stella said. "Of course you did. What was I thinking?" she looked at Selina. "Actually, we haven't been together all this time," she said. "For two-hundred years, things were just perfect. Then, my husband changed. Eventually, it became too much. So I made the biggest mistake of my life. I left him."


	3. Calling You

"You _left_ him?" Selina cried in consternation, frowning at Stella. "How could you leave him after all he did for you?"

Stella sighed sadly. "I regret it. I do. In two seconds, my pride and anger doomed the two of us to three-hundred years of misery. Thank God it wasn't an eternity."

"Did he say something to upset you?" Elena asked.

Stella nodded. "He did, but it seems like such a stupid thing to be upset about now." She paused. Just then, her cell rang. She opened it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, _Bella_," said the voice on the other end. "I was just calling to see if you arrived safely."

Stella cleared her throat. "Yes, I got here just fine, no mishaps or anything. I'm at the house now, and everybody's with me."

"_Everybody?_ It wouldn't be a problem for me to join in the conversation, would it?"

"Just a sec," she said. "I'll ask." She took the phone away from her ear. "It's my husband and he wants to talk too. Do you guys mind?"

"No," the other four shook their heads. "All right," Stella said. She attached the phone to a special jack that plugged in near the coffee table so they wouldn't have to worry about running out of power and being cut off. She had a feeling this conversation would get very passionate and involved.

"All right," she began, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, what were you talking about before?" he asked.

"We were discussing Stella's early life as a vampire," Selina broke in. "We're at the part where she left you."

"Really?" he said. "You mean the part where she ripped my heart out and stomped all over it?"

"She _did_ say it was the worst mistake of her life," Selina tried to reassure him.

Stella frowned. "Don't sound like such a martyr," she cried. "You started it!"

"How did I start it?" he asked.

"All I wanted was for you and your brother to get along," Stella said through her teeth. "Even an uneasy truce would have been better than how things were when the two of you were at each other's throats day and night, so to speak. And things were good enough after we got married. You at least faked getting along for my sake which is something I thank you for, but why couldn't it have carried over to after we were all turned? Why did you have to mutter about wanting to kill him day in and day out?"

"Well why did you have to stick up for him?" Her husband asked. "You always defended him against me, but you never took my side."

"Because he needed_ somebody_ to defend him," Stella said. "You know how he is. And since you sure as hell weren't going to help him, I was the only one left. If you would have just humored him a little bit and seen him as an extension of your mother rather than what killed her, then I wouldn't have felt so compelled to mother him when we were younger and I could have spent more time paying attention to you."

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "I suppose," he said after a moment.

"So _that's_ why you left him?" Elena said. "He was having issues with his brother and you just didn't want to be in the middle anymore?"

"Exactly," Stella said. "What happened was, we were walking along and he just starts muttering about how much he wants to kill his brother. By that point, I just couldn't take it anymore and started yelling about how they should get along because they were family and it was time for them to put their difficulties aside and start acting like it because besides me, his brother was now all he had left in terms of family.

"Then, he lets go of my hand, frowns at me, and mutters under his breath that I should stop talking like a fool and that I sounded just like my cousin Kristina. That was the breaking point. If you want to make me angry, making a comparison between me and my feather-brained twit of a cousin Kristina is the perfect way to do it."

"What's she like?" Selina asked.

"Remember how I told you that my father's mother hated me? Well, Kristina was the apple of her eye: blonde, blue-eyed, delicate, and dumb as a post."

"You forget lovably naïve and an undeniable tool of the establishment," her husband chimed in.

"_Lovably_ naïve?" Stella bristled. "Did you have a crush on Kristina too?" Stella asked.

"No," he said quickly. "It was just an observation. When your Uncle Richard brought her to the estate on business, she charmed everybody."

"Except for you two?" Stella asked. "She tried to get you to stop fighting and it didn't work?"

"And that seemed to upset her," he replied. "And she used some rather extreme and foolish tactics to try and make us get along."

"Of course she did," Stella sighed. "I wouldn't have been nice about it," she said. "I would have just locked you in a room until you either made nice or killed each other."

"Or you would have done what you do now," he countered. "Get Ella to date Stefan so the two of you can gang up on us."

Stella smiled wickedly. "Works great, doesn't it?" She looked at the three on the couch and Damon standing behind them. "Sorry, we're getting a little side-tracked, aren't we? Anyway, after I left, things kind of sucked, I won't deny that. I went back to Italy and in between the occasional check-ups on my children and their descendants I had one meaningless relationship after another. I spent money, I drank heavily, and I engaged in the worst sort of hedonism you can imagine, all in an attempt to forget the past. But nothing helped. Until just before the first world war broke out. Around 1913, I decided to take a boat to America, where I became a popular stage actress. I fell in love with one of my biggest fans, and we got married in the spring of 1915. Just two years later, the war spread to America, and he decided to go and fight for his country. I remember how fine he looked in his uniform. He kissed me goodbye, got on a bus, and that was the last time I ever saw him. He died of an illness in a war hospital in Germany."

"Something else about him," her husband said to break the silence, "he was a descendant of that German Baron her father's mother wanted her to leave me for."

"He was?" Stefan said in surprise. "I thought you'd resolved to stay away from that bloodline."

Stella shrugged. "Andrew was just different, I guess. Or maybe I was. Maybe the stability I'd scoffed at before was something I needed at that point. And even though my marriage to Andrew made things a little better, they still weren't perfect. Andrew never knew I was a vampire. I never told him. When I needed to go out and hunt at night, I told him that I was looking at the stars and that I needed to be alone because it helped me think."

"Sounds very lonely," Stefan said sympathetically. "Why didn't you just go looking for your husband again once you found out Andrew was dead?"

"Because," said the voice on the other end of the phone, "that would be caving and she's not one to cave. Or admit that she's wrong."

"Did _you_ ever try to find _her_?" Selina asked. "Or were you even as lonely as she was?"

"Of course I was," he burst out. "My wife, the mother of my children, the woman I loved more than any other was gone from my life! I saw her many times over the years, and I always thought that each one would be the one where I swallowed my own pride and told her I was sorry for my part in our fight. I knew I said something I shouldn't have. But something always held me back from making the first move."

"Well she missed you," Damon said. "If the songs she sang at the karaoke bar were supposed to be representative of her feelings about your relationship."

"_Really_?" Now he sounded like was trying not to laugh. "What songs did she sing?"

"ABBA," Damon said promptly. "'One of Us' and 'Mamma Mia'."

"Really, _Bella_?"

"Yes," Stella admitted. "I _did_ sing those songs. But don't put too much stock in it. I was drunk at the time."

"Don't you know that being drunk lowers people's inhibitions and makes them act instinctually?" Damon asked. "You wouldn't admit that you screwed up when you were sober because you were too proud, but when you were drunk, your true feelings were able to come out."

"Are you finished, Junior?" Stella asked, glaring at him.

"Yes," Damon said. "As a matter of fact, I am. For now."

"Are you happy?" Stella asked her husband. "They all side with you and think I'm horrible. That must be pretty great."

"They don't think you're horrible," her husband said. "They're just seeing that you have flaws like everybody else and they tend to show themselves fairly readily."

"What flaws?" Stella asked icily.

"Well," her husband replied, "like I've said many times, you have a real problem with admitting you're wrong, especially when it's _me_ who's right."

"I went to Harvard," Stella said. "When I'm wrong, the whole world falls out of orbit."

"Also," her husband continued, "you have a tendency to hold grudges for a very long time and I think your inability to let go of the past is holding us back."

Stella scoffed. "_I_ hold on to grudges which are holding us back? Hello, Mr. Pot, I'm Mrs. Kettle. Are you calling me black?"

"Oh, and while we're on the subject about being hypocritical about each other's faults," he continued, "you berate me for my hatred of my brother, my mocking him for being a tool of the establishment, when you yourself feel the same way about your cousin Kristina. How is it okay for you to express your feelings when I can't express mine?"

"How I feel about Kristina and the events that sparked those feelings are completely different than the ones that stirred up you and your brother," Stella said.

"How are they different?" he asked.

"Well," Stella said after a moment, "It wasn't Stefan's fault his delivery was difficult. It was just an unfortunate accident. You can't blame him for something he _definitely_ had no control over. As for Kristina, her blind and heedless devotion to my father's mother got me in trouble more than once. It just really made me angry."

"It made you angry because despite the fact that your father's mother was horrible to you, you wanted her approval. Kristina had it, you didn't. And since you knew somehow that you were never going to get it, you chose to rebel and hate Kristina for being who she was. It wasn't her fault that she was born with the features and manner that she had."

"What's your point?" Stella asked.

"My point," he said, "is that Kristina is to you as my brother is to me. They're both Golden Children who made _us_ look bad in the eyes of the adults who oversaw our lives.

"So you're saying we should see this realization as something to bond over rather than fight about? Or are you using this very convenient commonality as an excuse to keep fighting with your brother?" Stella asked.

"Please," he said easily. "I can't_ afford_ to fight with him anymore. With you and Ella around, we have to be on our guard at all times."

Stella smiled. "That's all I ask."

"Oh, and one more thing," he said, "when you next see Katerina, thank her and tell her how grateful you are for her interference," he said.

"Why?" Stella asked suspiciously.

"Because she did you a huge favor," her husband said, sounding gleeful. "If my brother and I hadn't gone after her, then he and Kristina probably would have gotten married and you would have had to spend every day for the rest of your life staring at her disgustingly perky face over the dinner table."

"Not if I killed her right after the wedding," Stella said immediately.

"I don't doubt you would have," he said. He paused. "Listen, I have to go, but before you hang up, I have a couple more things to say: first, I love you, very much."

"I love you too," Stella said, smiling at the phone.

"Second is for the other four in the room: Watch Stella very closely and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble, all right?"

"Sure," Stefan said.

"Of course," Selina replied.

"We'll do our best," Elena assured him.

"It's a good thought," Damon said after a moment, "But in actual practice, I doubt we'll be able to do any good. Where she goes on her own, trouble tends to follow. It's part of her charm."

The voice on the other end burst into laughter. When he finally got his breath back, Stella's husband spoke again. "_Carina_, isn't it wonderful to have someone there who knows you as well as I do?"

"Yeah," Stella said dryly, "when I figured that out, it was just the biggest thrill of my life."

He laughed again. "Goodbye, _Bella_. I hope to talk to you soon."

"Goodbye," Stella said quietly, turning off the phone. As soon as it was snapped shut, she looked up at the other four, who'd lapsed into silence. "Bet you've never been part of a phone conversation like that, have you?"


	4. So in Love With Two

A/N- The character of Kevin Jameson/Tom Skelton is an adaption of the title character of a Twilight Zone episode called "Long Live Walter Jameson," which happens to be my personal favorite episode. (And the premise fits in really well with the lore of the VD universe). In his first incarnation, he was created by Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont. I'm just tweaking him a little for the dramatic purposes of this story.

The next day, at school, Stefan, Selina and Elena sat in history class, listening to Alaric lecture about Sherman's march to the sea and the burning of Atlanta. Selina was doing her best to stay awake and not quite succeeding. She pulled out a sheet of paper and scribbled _why do I have to sit through this when I was there to witness the actual event and know every detail?_ She handed it over to Elena, and when the other girl looked up, she arranged her face in a look of long suffering. Elena smiled, took out a sheet of paper of her own and scribbled something on it, handing it over to Selina. _Sorry you have to hear all this again,_ it read. _But that's a drawback of eternal life, I guess. History just keeps repeating itself again and again and again…_ Selina looked the note over and Elena gave her a sympathetic glance before training her eyes back on Alaric as he continued to lecture. Just when he reached the part where Atlanta burned to the ground, there was a knock on the door of the classroom. Alaric stopped talking and put the whiteboard marker down before striding over to the door and pulling it open.

The class leaned forward in eager anticipation in case the person on the other side was someone even remotely interesting, but sat back in disappointment when they saw that it was an ordinary young man with shaggy dark blond hair that was a little long in the back, and warm brown eyes, and a tiny mole on the side of his chin. He was dressed head to toe in blue: dark wash blue jeans, a light blue button down shirt with darker blue stripes, and navy blue sneakers. He looked up at the class that was staring at him and his face easily moved into a smile. "Hello, everyone," he said. He looked over at Alaric. "Sorry I'm late, sir. The office had trouble processing my paperwork."

Alaric stared at the young man in amazed silence for a moment before blinking himself back to reality. "That's all right," he said. "What's your name?"

The young man cleared his throat. "My name is Kevin Jameson," he said. His voice had just a hint of a Boston accent. "What are we talking about today?"

Alaric gestured at the board. "Sherman's march to the sea and the burning of Atlanta," he said. "Take a seat and join in the conversation if you can."

"I'd be glad to," Kevin said, smiling.

Elena had been watching this exchange with interest when she felt Selina nudge her sharply from behind. "Ow," she whispered. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"Stop the new guy from coming over here and taking the seat next to me," she whispered back urgently. "Put your coat there or something so he'll go sit somewhere else." She removed her sweater and put it across her face. "Is he looking this way?"

"No," Elena said, frowning at her. "But you're acting very strangely so I wouldn't blame him for staring. What is the matter with you?"

"It's a long story," Selina said, moving her sweater down a little so she could keep an eye on Kevin. "Tell Alaric that we need to go to the bathroom and I'll explain it to you the best I can."

Elena rolled her eyes. "All right," she said. "If it'll stop you acting so ridiculous."

"It will," Selina assured her. "For the moment anyway."

"Ric," Elena called, "Sophia and I need to use the bathroom. Is that all right?"

He turned. "Class is over in fifteen minutes, can it wait?"

Elena looked at Selina who was vigorously shaking her head. "Come on," Elena mouthed. "What's fifteen minutes?"

Selina stopped shaking her head and rolled her eyes, leaning back in her seat. At that moment, Kevin walked by their desks, and when he saw Selina, his eyes widened. He advanced toward her until he was directly across from her. "Oh, my God," he said softly. "It's you." Then, he quickly turned away and went to sit in the desk next to Matt.

"What was _that_ about?" Stefan mouthed from his seat next to Elena.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Selina mouthed back. She looked at Elena. "And I'll explain it to _you_ after class."

When Alaric finished his lecture, there was still ten minutes left of class. Alaric was about to dismiss everyone a little early when Kevin raised his hand. "I realize everyone is going to hate me for this," he said as the class reluctantly sat down. "And I know it's an especially risky thing to say since I'm technically a Yankee in Confederate territory, but I don't think the way you're explaining the burning of Atlanta is very accurate," he said. "The men of Sherman's regiment didn't _want_ to burn the city. Many of them saw it as a place of beauty that shouldn't be destroyed, but Sherman was a madman and forced them to do as he asked. He even lit the torch that started the blaze. All his tired, hungry men wanted to do was destroy that which could be used against them in the fight. Burning the _whole_ city was pointless and unnecessary."

"That's interesting," Alaric said. "Why do you think that way?"

Kevin shrugged. "It's only natural. One of my ancestors was on Sherman's general staff. He witnessed everything first hand. It's all in here." With a flourish, he pulled out an old, dusty journal from his bag. "What I told you was only a paraphrase of what he wrote for an entry dated April 11, 1864."

Alaric read it over. "Would you be willing to read one more entry?" he asked.

"Sure," Kevin said amiably, gently taking the journal back. He flipped through the pages and when he found the entry he was looking for, he held the journal up and began reading:

"_February 12, 1865_

_Happy birthday to our great president, Mr. Abraham Lincoln, whose wisdom and strength are helping keep our country from falling even further apart in these hard times. We're in Virginia now, in a town called Mystic Falls. It seems nice enough, and if the citizenry weren't intent on having my head, I'd like to stay awhile._

_Speaking of hard times, what began as a tragedy befell me this evening. I became separated from my unit and then was shot three times in the leg by a band of Rebel soldiers hiding out in the woods. Despite my wounds, I managed to stagger out from the trees. My eyes then discovered a magnificent mansion. It looked deserted, so I figured I could get myself inside and have a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately, my leg wounds made me a bit uncoordinated and I knocked a vase off one of the little three legged tables in the sitting room. It fell to the ground with a loud crash and just as I reached one of the couches, I heard a young woman's voice call out "who's there? If you're a Yankee intent on causing me harm, I have a gun and I know how to use it!"_

_I pushed myself up from the couch to have a look at the girl. Her black hair was a wild cloud around her face. Her blue-gray eyes were almost crackling with rage, but I could see that she was shaking. I nearly lost my breath for a moment. Despite the fact that she was pointing a gun in my direction, she was remarkably pretty, the first person or thing of beauty I'd laid eyes on in many months._

"_I don't mean you any harm," I managed to get out. "I got separated from my regiment and was injured. I saw your house when I came out of the woods. I thought it was deserted which is why I came in here in the first place. If I'd have known that someone still lived here, I never would have intruded._

_She took a deep breath. The anger in her eyes changed to uncertainty. Then, slowly she brought the gun down to her side. "Do you mean it?" She asked quietly. "Do you promise you won't cause me any harm?"_

"_I do, miss, I promise," I said. She put the pistol down on the table. "What's your name?" she asked._

"_I cleared my throat. 'Tom Skelton,' I said. 'I'm with General Sherman's army. Or I was last time I checked. The generals change so frequently, it's hard to keep track."_

"'_Tell me, Mr. Skelton'," she said, sitting next to me on the sofa. "'How long has it been since you've known the touch of a woman?'"_

"_My breath caught when she said this and I slowly began to move away. 'What are you proposing, Miss?' I asked._

"_She sighed. 'It's not the way it sounds. My fiancé was killed last year. I've been very lonely ever since.'_

'_I'm sorry,' I said. 'It must be horrible to lose someone you love so much.' I paused. 'You _did_ love him, didn't you?'_

"_She nodded. 'Yes, I did. With all my heart. But it's just me here now.' She looked morosely around the living room._

'_I know we don't know each other very well,' I said. 'But since I'm wounded and thus incapable of fighting, I could stay here if you like and keep you company.'_

"_Now it was her turn to take in a sharp breath. 'I'm sorry,' I said quickly, noticing the look on her face. 'People will think ill of you for having a Yankee soldier in your house, won't they? Especially since you're so young and recently widowed.'_

'_No,' she said after a moment. 'No one in town cares about me anymore. I would love your company. By the way, my name is-"_

"Stop!" Selina cried out.

"What's the matter, Sophia?" asked Alaric in surprise.

"I just wanted to say that the bell's going to ring in less than a minute," she explained. "My outburst had nothing to do with the story."

* * *

As the bell rang, Kevin gently set the journal down in his backpack but didn't get up right away. He figured she probably wouldn't wait for him, but it was worth a shot. He was surprised that she was still here. But actually, he reflected, he shouldn't be surprised. Boston didn't hold the most pleasant memories for her, and this was where she'd been born, although he doubted any of her friends or family were still around. They'd probably died _years _ago. The question was why hadn't _she_?

When he saw her and the girl she was sitting with rise from their desks, he got up to follow, but they moved too quickly. He sighed and sat back down. It didn't matter. There was always later. He had all the time in the world.

* * *

"Thank God we got out of there!" Selina cried in jubilation as she and Elena reached the bathroom.

"Yeah," Elena said. "We're away from the new guy. Now will you please explain to me why the sight of him freaked you out so much? He's really good-looking. And I think he likes you."

"He _does_," Selina nodded vigorously. "And therein lies the problem."

"Oh," Elena nodded understandingly as she picked lint off the shoulder of her black sweater. "Is it because you and Damon are married now and you don't want it to seem like you're encouraging the new guy?"

"Well…" Selina avoided Elena's eyes. "Kinda sorta. Not really. I don't know."

"Is there something you don't want to tell me?" Elena asked. "You can tell me anything, you know."

Selina sighed. "All right," she said. "But you have to _swear_ on your life not to tell Stefan, and Damon _definitely_ can't know."

"Oh, my God," Elena said. "Don't tell me you return the new guy's feelings."

Selina gave a small nod. "Kinda sorta. Not really. I don't know."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elena asked.

Selina leaned in closer. "When he was reading from the journal, you know, Tom Skelton's journal? I didn't cry out because the bell was about to ring," she confessed.

"Why _did _you cry out?" Elena asked.

"Because," Selina whispered. "I didn't want him to say the girl's name while Stefan was in the room."

Elena gasped. "It was _you_, wasn't it?" She breathed. "_You_ were the first thing of beauty that Tom Skelton had seen in months!"

Selina nodded. "Yeah, it was me."

"Wow," Elena said. "What is it with you and having the descendants of the men who like you fall in love with you too?"

"I know you'll find this hard to believe," Selina said. "But Kevin Jameson isn't Tom Skelton's descendant. He's Tom Skelton _himself._"

"Are you sure?" Elena asked skeptically.

"Yes!" Selina nodded vigorously. "He hasn't changed at all! He looks the same as he did the day we married."

"Wait a minute," Elena said. "You _married _him? You married a _Union soldier_ when Damon quit fighting for the Confederacy for your sake?"

"Damon was gone by then, Elena. I didn't think I'd ever see him again and I figured it was time for me to move on." Selina's voice was quiet. "Tom and I married in Boston a year after the war ended. We were together for ten years, and then one morning, I discovered he'd disappeared without a word. Without a note. This is the first time I've seen him since 1876. He hasn't changed, and neither have I."

"My God," Elena said. "No wonder you don't want Damon to know any of this."


	5. This I Promise You

_Selina, or as she liked to think of herself now, Susanna Lockwood, was sitting at the window, staring out at the day. The sunlight streamed in through the windows, and she looked up into it, breathing deeply. Things had been so peaceful for the last two months, just she and Tom together and nothing to intrude upon them. She was alone in the house now. Tom had gone out to town earlier in the day. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was two in the afternoon. He should be getting back soon. The front door opened, and she started, smiling as she stood up to go greet him._

"_Hello," she said. "Was there anything interesting going on in town?" she asked. Tom, ironically, was wearing gray pants and vest, along with a white shirt and gray velvet waistcoat._

"_As a matter of fact," he said, sitting down on the piano bench. "Something wonderful has occurred," he said. "The war, it appears, has ended."_

"_What?" Selina asked in surprise. "Are you certain?" _

"_Of course I'm certain," he said gently. He took out the paper and pushed it toward her. "Apparently, General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox."_

"_We've lost," she said, taking the paper and looking at it sadly. "Everything we stand for is gone now. What will the South do now, Tommy? What's left?"_

_He smiled sadly and took her hand. "I don't know, my darling," he said. "But everything will turn out all right in the end, I promise."_

_She sighed, standing up, her black and white-checked skirt billowing around her. "What are _we_ going to do now?"_

_He cleared his throat. "Susanna," he said, standing up. "I have something I would like to ask you._

"_Yes?" She said, curiously. He pulled a small box out of the pocket of his waistcoat, stepped toward her, and got down on one knee, looking into her eyes._

"_Susanna Lockwood," he said. "I understand if you're not quite ready to hear this, but I assume after all the time we've spent together that you have some idea of my feelings for you. I love you very much, and it would make me the happiest man in the world if you would agree to be my wife. Now, of course I understand if you're still grieving for your first husband, but I'm willing to wait as long as it takes."_

"_Truly?" she asked. "Tommy, do you mean it? Why, of course I'll marry you. But let's wait until next year. Until things have calmed down a little in the world. And when we marry, can we leave here?" she asked. "This place, it has so many memories, most of them bad, and I just want to get away."_

"_Of course," he said. "Of course we'll go away. My family has a house in Boston that we can go to."_

"_Your family?" she asked uncertainly. "I don't think they'll like me, will they?"_

"_My father was the only one who was really ever strongly anti-Confederate," Tommy assured her. "And he died of influenza not too long ago. Besides, you were never a soldier. What could they possibly have against you?"_

_She gave a small shrug. "I don't know," she said. "War can just bring out the worst in people."_

_He put a gentle arm around her shoulders as he slipped the ring on her finger. "It will be all right," he promised. "Don't worry about a thing."_

"…_And do you, Susanna Amelia Lockwood, take this man, Thomas Hugh Skelton to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, to love, honor, cherish and obey as long as you both shall live?" She looked at Tommy who squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "I do," she nodded._

_The priest put his bible down and beamed back at them. "Then, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." They kissed and Selina felt happier then she had in quite awhile. This was a new beginning for her, away from her old life and all her troubles. Nothing could hurt her now._

_That night, she shivered with anticipation. When Tommy entered the room, she lost her breath. He was so beautiful. When he kissed her, she felt herself melt away into something wonderful that she never wanted to end. The next morning, she turned to face him, grinning widely. When she saw that he'd put the covers entirely over his head, she playfully pulled them away, gasping in horror._

"_Good morning, my beautiful darling," he said. But it wasn't him. It was Damon._

_

* * *

_

"Selina! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

Selina sat up. "What's going on?" Blinking, she saw that the space beside her on the bed was empty. "Damon, where are you?"

"You kicked me out," he said, pulling himself up. "What the hell were you dreaming about, anyway?"

"Nothing," she said sheepishly. "Are you all right?"

"Sure," he said, climbing up next to her, his gaze steady on her face. "Are _you_ all right? Tell me honestly."

"Yeah, I'm fine." She shoved the covers off herself and got out of bed. "I think I just need a drink, that's all. Then everything should be just fine."

"I think I'll come with you," he said, pulling a shirt on.

"No," Selina shook her head quickly. "You don't need to come with me. I'll be fine on my own. You can just stay in here. I'll be back soon, I promise." She went to open the door, gasping in surprise when she saw Stefan and Elena on the other side.

"Is everyone all right in here?" Elena asked. "We heard a crash."

"Selina kicked me out of bed," Damon said accusingly. "And now she won't tell me why."

"You kicked him out of bed?" Elena repeated, looking at Selina in surprise.

"Apparently," Selina shrugged. "I don't remember doing it, though."

Damon sat down on the bed. "I should have sensed it coming. I mean, prior to your kicking me out, you were thrashing around like crazy and moaning without end."

"I was?" she felt herself blush. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to, honest." She looked at Elena. "I had a dream about the man in blue. You remember him, right?"

"What?" Elena shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

Groaning in exasperation, Selina took Elena by the wrist and led her in the bathroom. As soon as they were gone, Stefan looked at Damon. "You going to be okay?" he asked.

"Sure," Damon said. "It's not the first time I've been kicked out of bed."

* * *

"Now," Elena said when they were in the bathroom. "You have to tell me why you kicked Damon out of bed; if you remember, that is. And what is this 'man in blue' business?"

"I had a dream about Tom," Selina confessed. "Or Kevin, whatever you prefer to call him. I dreamed about our wedding day. And our wedding night. Except, here's the weird bit: when I got to the part that was supposed to be 'the morning after' Tom had the covers covering him completely, and when I pulled them away, it wasn't him in bed with me."

"It wasn't?" Elena asked. "Then who was it?"

"It was Damon," Selina said. "Who else would it be? Besides Tom, I mean. Do you think my brain is trying to tell me I'm screwed?"

"I think your brain is trying to tell you that you have a choice to make," Elena said. "And I'm afraid it won't be an easy one."

* * *

That day at school, Selina considered doing all she could to avoid her erstwhile spouse, but then realized that the best thing would be just to confront him. She didn't see him all morning, but just before her last period, which happened to be open, she was putting books in her locker when she heard the smooth voice behind her. "Hello, my beautiful darling."

She turned. Kevin was grinning at her. She took a deep breath. "So," she said, "have you been looking for me? What can I do for you?"

"I'm a little surprised, Susanna," he said. "Why is it that you aren't as shocked to see me as I am to see you?"

Selina shut her locker. "You think I'm not surprised to see you?" she said incredulously. "We get married, you leave ten years later without a word, and then show up unceremoniously after more than a century and you think I'm not surprised? How the hell is this possible?"

He sighed, looking heavenward and running his fingers through his blond hair. "Come to the roof with me," he said. "It would be best if we spoke about this privately." She let him take her hand and they headed up to the roof. Once the door was closed firmly behind them and Kevin was sure that there was no one else around, he sat down across from her on the cement and took her hand in his. "I know you probably have many questions, and believe me, you more than anyone are entitled to the answers. When I left, I know it hurt you, I know. And I didn't want to leave you. But I had to. My very survival depended on it."

"I'll tell you the truth," Selina said. "Around the time you left me, I was thinking about the best way to leave _you_."

"What?" His eyes widened. "_Why_?"

"I'm a vampire," she said simply. "Now what's your excuse?"

"Wait just a minute," he said, holding up a hand. "You're a _vampire_? I always thought they were make-believe. When did that happen?"

Selina sighed theatrically. "Before I ever met you," she said. "I caught scarlet fever and in order to save my life, the town doctor gave me his blood and then poisoned me, triggering my transformation into a vampire. They have a whole legend about it called _The Lady in Red._"

"Really?" Kevin was looking dumbfounded now. _"Really?"_

"Are you going to be all right?" Selina asked. "Do you want some water or anything?"

"No," Kevin shook his head. "I think I'll be all right."

"Now that you know my story," Selina continued, "what's yours?"

He sighed and smiled. "I know that you really aren't going to believe this at all," he told her, "but I really don't know exactly why I'm still here. Well, I do," he admitted, "but it's hard to explain. See, when my father told me that he wanted me to don the blue uniform and defend the union, I was terrified. I knew that if I went off to war, I would most likely die, and I felt that I was too young. That I still had so much that I wanted to know. That I couldn't_ afford _to die yet.

"Then, just before I was about to ship out, I met an old gypsy and confided my fears to her. She told me that she could help me. She said she had some magic in her repertoire that could keep me from dying battle. It wouldn't make me indestructible, but would stop me from being killed by anything that the enemy had. Filled with relief, I gave her the money I possessed and she said some words over a vat of strange liquid. The chanting seemed to take hours. Then, when she was done, she scooped some of the liquid into a cup and bade me drink it. I did. It tasted horrible, like gasoline and burned my throat. The pain was so bad, I think I blacked out. When I woke up again, she was gone. I was all alone.

"Confused, I stood up and started to walk back home. I was so stunned by what I had just been through that I didn't notice the runaway carriage approaching me just as I was about to reach home. The driver called out, but I didn't hear him in time. By the time the thundering of the horses' hooves made me aware, they were practically upon me. The crash was sickening. The carriage was overturned, the driver was killed, and the horses had to be shot. But oddly enough, I walked away without a scratch."

"Because of the gypsy's spell?" Selina asked. "But I thought she said you weren't indestructible."

"I'm not," he said. "I can die by my own hand. I've had a gun with me for years that has one bullet in it just in case I ever find it necessary to end it all."

"Have you ever felt that need?" Selina asked?"

"At times," he admitted. "Sometimes, I think that death is what makes life worth living. We love a rose because we know it's going to be gone some day. Whoever loved a stone?"

"I did once," she said smiling. "I found it at the bottom of a pond after I went swimming. It was just so smooth and perfect, and it was all the better because I knew that I'd be able to keep it forever. Roses are a dime a dozen, but a perfect stone takes years and years to form, years to smooth out. But it's solid. Not fragile. With stones you don't have to worry about wilting or black spot. They'll always be just as wonderful as the day you got them. I know that has nothing to do with the point you were trying to make, but I hope it helps."

"Thank you," he said, smiling and kissing her cheek. "If anyone would know how to make me feel better about this, it would be you, wouldn't it?" he looked at his watch. "It's almost time for our next period. I'm free, but it would be my pleasure to escort you to wherever you need to go."

"Actually," Selina told him, "I'm free too. Do you want to pick up where we left off?"

He took her hand and pulled her up. "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"Tell me something, Elena," Stefan said as he watched Selina and Kevin leave school arm-in-arm. "What's going on with Selina and the new guy?"

"There's something going on with Selina and the new guy?" Elena asked. "I hadn't really noticed."

"They just left arm in arm," Stefan said. "Selina hasn't said anything to you about him, has she?"

"No," Elena quickly shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Stefan. It's probably nothing. He's probably one of the many friends she's made over the years and they just went out to get coffees or something." When she realized he wasn't going to budge until she gave him a better answer, she settled for a half truth. "Remember Tom Skelton's journal that Kevin read in history class?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Well," Elena continued slowly, "the mansion that Tom went into was Dr. Stensrund's."

Stefan's eyes widened. "The girl he met and thought was beautiful was Selina, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Elena nodded.

"And now his descendant is going after Selina as well, is that it?" Stefan asked.

"I guess," Elena said. "You're going to tell Damon, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course I am," Stefan said. "Don't you think he deserves to know?"


	6. All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You

"I don't know why you're so worked up about this," Elena said as she and Stefan drove back to the boarding house.

"Are you saying that I don't have a right to be upset that my sister-in-law is cheating on my brother?" Stefan asked.

"She's not cheating on him!" Elena burst out. "She and an old friend are just going out for coffee. I've told you a thousand times that that's all there is to them and if you go and tell Damon and over-dramatize everything, it could break them up again for no reason at all. Is that what you want?"

Stefan took a deep breath and put his hands on the steering wheel. "You're really serious, aren't you?" he asked. "Selina's still in love with my brother?"

"Of course," Elena said. "Do you think I would lie to you about something like that?"

He sighed. "No, you wouldn't."

"Good," Elena nodded. "So we aren't going to start trouble by telling Damon about Selina and the new guy?"

"But what if he asks where she is?" Stefan wanted to know. "He's going to ask when he sees that she didn't come home with us."

"So we tell him that Selina's out with an old friend and will be back later tonight. And she'll call him if she has half the sense she was born with," Elena said. "It shouldn't all be on us to account for her."

They drove up the boardinghouse driveway and parked the car, heading inside. "Hey," Elena called out. "Anybody home?"

"Yes," Damon called back, coming down the stairs. "How was school?" He looked behind them. "Where's Selina? Did she come home with you?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "We got a new student in class today who happens to be an old friend of hers, so they headed out just before last period to catch up. I'm sure she'll call soon."

"All right," Damon nodded and sprawled out on the couch. A moment later, his cell phone rang. "It's Selina," he said. He put the phone to his ear. "Hello?" he said.

"Hi, Damon," she replied. "Sorry I didn't come home with Stefan and Elena, but I ran into an old friend I haven't seen in years and we're catching up. I'll be home later tonight, I promise."

"All right," he nodded. "And don't worry, they've told me. You have fun and I'll see you later tonight. I love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too, handsome." He shut the phone, smiling. "That was Selina. She was just telling me where she was." He paused. "So this friend of hers; have you seen them? What are they like?"

"They seem nice enough," Elena said carefully. "They really made an impression on Alaric in history today."

"Uh-huh," Damon nodded. "So is this someone a male someone or a female someone?"

Stefan and Elena looked at one another. "A male someone," Elena said finally, even though she didn't really want to. She flinched and waited for the explosion.

"Why did you just flinch like that?" Damon asked quietly. "Did you think I was going to be mad at you?"

"Well you have said in the past that you believe in killing the messenger," Elena pointed out.

"Oh, my God," he replied. "Do you believe I'm so naïve that I don't realize Selina's had other male friends over the years?" Damon asked. "I know she has and I'm okay with it. Especially since I'm the one she married, so I have no reason to be jealous and nobody else matters. They have no effect on me."

"What if this other male friend is the descendant of a Union soldier she had a relationship with at the end of the war?" Stefan asked. "He showed up right after Selina came back from the woods and killed Dr. Stensrund. When he asked about you, she told him you were dead and they spent quite a bit of time together."

Damon's eyes widened "What?" he cried as Elena elbowed Stefan in the gut. "Selina had a relationship with a Union soldier after I quit the Confederacy and risked the wrath of our father just to be with her? I can't believe this!"

"Nice going," Elena said to Stefan through her teeth. Then, she turned back to Damon and tried to calm him down. "I honestly don't think there's anything for you to be worried about," she said. "I mean, the relationship happened after you weren't in love with her anymore thanks to Katherine," Elena said. "Did you think she'd just wait faithfully for you all those years and not commit to anyone else?"

"That would have been nice," Damon nodded.

"I don't believe this," Elena scoffed. "It's okay for you to cheat on her, but when you find out that she had a relationship with someone else, which given the fact that you weren't around, she had every right to pursue, you get all angry, jealous and defensive."

"What went on with me and Katherine was totally different," Damon said. "I didn't consciously decide to cheat on Selina. Katherine messed with my mind and lied to me about Selina and Dr. Stensrund. What was I supposed to do?"

"You could have stuck up for her," Elena said. _"_Actually, you probably couldn't. But you have the opportunity to be the bigger person now, so go ahead and take it. Besides, you're worrying for nothing. She told you she loved you on the phone. I heard it. Why would she say that if she was planning on cheating on you with somebody else? She and the new guy are just old friends playing catch up. She'll be back tonight and everything will be back to normal."

* * *

"Oh, my God," Kevin had Selina by the hand and was leading her into the house he'd rented for the time he was in Mystic Falls. "I don't believe this. It looks a lot like your parents' house."

"It does, doesn't it?" Kevin asked, smiling. "I hoped you'd remember." Selina looked up awe at the chandelier high above her head. "Are those light bulbs in there?" She asked pointing. "Or does it use actual candles?"

"Light bulbs," Kevin replied. "Real candles would probably be a fire hazard of mammoth proportions." He took her coat and hung it in the closet. "Do you want a drink?" he asked. "I went grocery shopping yesterday, so I have a little bit of everything."

"That would be nice," Selina nodded. "I'll have whatever you're having. She took a seat on the living room couch. A couple minutes later, Kevin brought her drink along with one of his own and sat down beside her. "So," she said after a moment of silence, "what did you want to do? Talk?"

He sighed. "I think we've talked ourselves out. What more is there to say after two people who've missed each other for a long time realize that they've missed out on years that they could have had because they didn't know that the other was immortal?"

Selina shrugged. "I really don't know." As she realized that he was gazing at her, she began to blush. "What are you looking at?" she asked.

He smiled at her and began running his fingers through her hair. "All these years," he said, "I've never forgotten how beautiful you are."

She began to breathe heavily. "What would you have said if I would have told you back then that I was a vampire?"

"I would have asked for proof," he said, "but that could have been solved quickly enough. What would you have done when I told you what was going on with me?"

She shrugged. "I probably wouldn't have questioned it. I probably would have thought of it as a blessing. With my husband gone, I was really lonely when you showed up, and you know as well as I do how hard it is to have a halfway decent relationship with somebody when you know that they're going to age and you aren't."

"That's true," Kevin nodded ruefully.

"Tommy," Selina said. "I have to know: do you still love me?"

He took his fingers out of her hair and put a hand under her chin so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "You know I do," he said. "I've never loved anyone else. I mean, I've had other relationships of course, and I know you most likely have too, but nothing could come close to what we had." He paused. "Do you still love _me_?"

She looked at him for a moment, then moved her hand behind her back, deftly slipping off her wedding ring and slipping it into her pocket. Then, she moved her head forward so their lips met. She thought that he would resist, but he didn't. The kiss became deeper until she found herself on her back. Just as things were about to go past the point of no return, she opened her eyes. "Stop!" she cried.

"What?" Kevin said in surprise. "What's the matter?" He sat up and she followed suit, taking several deep breaths. "I have to go," she said quickly, standing up and snatching her sweater and slacks off the floor and pulling them on. "This was fun, but I _really_ have to go."

"Why?" he asked. "Did I do something wrong? If I did, I'm sorry."

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's not you, it's me. I just have a lot of baggage and trust me you really wouldn't want to be involved with me anyway."

"Yes, I would," he insisted. "Is there something you aren't telling me?"

She sighed. "Remember when we first met, I told you that my first husband was dead?"

"Yes, I remember," he said. "What about it?"

"Well," she continued, "I wasn't exactly telling the truth; the reason why he wasn't with me when we met wasn't because he was dead per se, it was because we were fighting. And technically at that point, he wasn't my husband, he was only my fiancé."

"What were you fighting about?" Kevin asked.

Selina sat down. "That's a long story. And it's even wrong to say we were fighting. We had just drifted apart because he told me he didn't want me anymore and tried to kill me."

"Well that's a ridiculous thing for him to do," Kevin said. "If he loved you so much, why would he do it?"

"He was brainwashed in a sense," Selina said. "There was another vampire, a girl I always thought was my sister. Her name is Katherine and her greatest joy in life was making me miserable. So she caused the chain of events in the Lady in Red story to make my fiancé think I cheated on him so she could manipulate him to fall in love with her instead. And for years, it worked. But now, things are different."

"Now you and your fiancé are back together?" Kevin asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "We are. In fact, we married not too long ago." She pulled Damon's ring out of her pocket. "Here's my ring."

Kevin looked at the ring and sighed. "All right," he said. "That makes things perfectly clear. I'll do the honorable thing and leave you alone. You seem to be living a perfectly wonderful existence without me."

"No," she said quickly. "I don't want you gone from my life. I need you."

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

Selina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "This is going to sound really selfish, but I just, sometimes things with my husband are complicated. You and I had a nice, normal relationship. You loved me, I loved you. There wasn't anyone else involved. Apart from the fact that we were both immortal and didn't tell each other about it, things were perfect."

"But you and your husband?"

"The vampire who turned him and my brother-in-law too, is still around. She could come back for him any day and I just couldn't deal with being hurt by that again."

Kevin's eyes remained steady on hers. "So you want me to stay around in case he leaves you again."

"God, no that's terrible. That's not what I meant." Selina's hands were balled into fists. She grabbed a pillow and began punching it with her fists. "I'm not like Katherine. I don't use people. I care about them." She looked up at Kevin. "That's why you have to forget me. I love you very much still, I do. But I can't commit to you the way you want me to. So just forget you ever saw me and leave. You had it right the first time. Doing it a second time shouldn't be that difficult."

"Susanna," he said, "look at me. I can't leave you now. I know the situation's not perfect, and I know it's not exactly honorable to go after a married woman, but really, who did you marry first?"

She smiled. "You have a point. I just don't want you to feel like I'm leading you on."

He shook his head. "I don't feel that, trust me."

She kissed him one last time. "I should probably go," she said. "See you at school tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Of course, but I'm sitting by you in history, if that's all right."

She smiled. "As long as you don't mind my brother-in-law staring daggers at you from across the room, be my guest."

He opened the door and followed her out. "How far is home from here?"

"Not far," she said, putting her arms around herself and trying not to shiver in the cold night air. "Given the circumstances, it would probably be best if I walked home alone."

"Wait there a minute," Kevin said. He disappeared in the house and came back a few seconds later clutching a letterman's jacket. "Wear this," he said. "I wouldn't want you to be cold."

"Thanks," Selina said, putting it around herself. "Goodnight, Tommy."

"Goodnight, Susanna," he called after her.

* * *

When Selina reached the boardinghouse, she went inside and found Elena, Damon and Stefan watching a movie. "Damon," she asked him, "can I borrow your phone? I need to make a call."

"Why can't you use your phone?" he asked.

"Because I don't have the number on my phone," she said.

He gestured in the direction of the kitchen and she found his phone on the counter next to the microwave. She picked it up, turned it on, found the number she was looking for and dialed. Her breathing picked up as it started ring. "Please be there," she whispered. "Please be there."

* * *

Stella was sitting in front of the television watching Moonstruck and eating popcorn when the phone rang, just as Cher was slapping Nicolas Cage across the face and yelling at him to "snap out of it!" Stella put the television on pause and grabbed her cell phone, flipping it open. "Hello?" she said.

"Hello." The voice on the other end made her pause. "Selina, is that you? What's the matter?"

"I need to talk to you," she said. "Could I come over?"

"Sure," Stella said. "I'll come and pick you up."

"I don't think so," Selina said quickly. "If you come and pick me up, Damon might ask questions and he can't know what's wrong with me."

Stella gasped. "This is about a guy, isn't it?"

"Yes," Selina said. "I think I'm in really big trouble."

Despite Selina's pleas not to have Stella pick her up, Stella decided to anyway. When Damon opened the door in response to her knock, she simply smiled and said "hello, Junior. Mind if I borrow Selina for awhile?"

"No," he said. "Come on in. Did she call you?"

Stella walked into the room and sat down on the couch. "Yes, she did. But it was about a female thing, so you won't want any details."

"Thank you for sparing me," Damon said dryly.

Stella looked at Selina. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Sure," Selina said, standing up. She looked at the other three. "Bye guys. I'll call if I'm not planning to be back before tomorrow." Selina and Stella left the boardinghouse and headed to Stella's car. "So," she said once they were inside and moving. "What is so bad that Junior can't know about it?"

"Okay," Selina said. "Remember how you married that Andrew guy after you and your husband separated?"

"Yeah," Stella said. "What about it?"

"Well," Selina said carefully, "have you told your husband about Andrew?"

"Yes," Stella nodded. "He knows about him."

"And when you let your husband know that you'd been married to someone else, especially someone he might not like, how did he react?"

"Oh, he was really upset with me," Stella said. "Every muscle in his body was twitching and he looked like he wanted to hit me."

"Did he?" Selina asked in alarm.

"No," Stella shook her head. "He kissed me instead. He wanted to hit me, but he kissed me instead." She paused. "Have you fallen in love with someone that Junior wouldn't like?"

"I did," Selina said. "A long time ago. He was a Union soldier who took refuge with me in the house I was staying at after he was wounded. I told him that Damon was dead and I was lonely, and after the war ended, we married. Then he left me ten years later and I didn't hear from him again."

"So what's the problem?" Stella asked.

"Now, he's back," Selina said. "Apparently, because of black magic, he's immortal too. And tonight, we decided to do some catching up. And when he kissed me, all the old feelings came back."

"So you're in love with this guy, but you're still in love with Junior too?"

"Yeah," Selina admitted. "It's just so screwed up I don't know what to do."

"Does Junior know about this other guy?" Stella asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. I think I'd prefer he stay in the dark, but that just seems so dishonest."

They reached a hulking gothic structure at the edge of town that resembled something of the Addams Family. "This is where you're staying?" Selina asked as she got out of the car.

"Yes," Stella nodded. "Picturesque, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Selina followed Stella inside and took a seat next to her on the couch. "What are you watching?" Selina asked.

"It's called _Moonstruck_," Stella said. "Cher plays this widow who gets engaged and then her fiance has to go off to Italy to visit his mother on her deathbed, but before he leaves, he asks her to make amends with his younger brother and invite him to their wedding."

"He and his younger brother are fighting?" Selina asked in surprise. "No wonder you like this movie. It's right up your alley, isn't it?"

"But that's not all," Stella continued. "Soon after Cher and the younger brother meet for the first time, they get overtaken by passion and begin having an affair."

"That's not good," Selina remarked.

"No it isn't," Stella agreed. "Nicolas Cage plays the younger brother. I think I like him the best."

Stella hit the play button on the TV and the movie continued. "You know," Selina said after a moment, this might help me too. I mean, my situation's not quite the same, but there are some similarities."

"No there aren't," Stella said. "You know you love Junior. This other guy has messed with your brain and now you think you're confused."

"Maybe," Selina said. Her eyes traveled to a portrait on a nearby wall. "That picture looks familar," she remarked. "I swear I've seen it somewhere before."

Stella looked up at it. "That's my daughter, Andria." She looked at the picture, then back at Selina. "You two look an awful lot alike," she said. Selina gazed at it harder. "You're right," she said. "There _is _a strange resemblance between me and her. I can't explain it, though."

"But there's someone who can," said a voice at the window. It caused Stella and Selina to look away from the picture, tensing up. When Stella saw who it was, she relexed and stood up. "Who is it, Rose? Who can tell us?"

"Katerina Petrova can," Rose said. "Find her and ask her. But don't be surprised if you don't like what you hear."


	7. Slipping Through My Fingers

"Why?" Stella asked, gazing at her suspiciously. "Is it bad?"

"Well yes," Rose nodded. "I wouldn't say 'you won't like what you hear' if it was something nice!"

Selina sighed. "I really don't feel up to facing her right now, so why can't you just tell us?" she asked, looking at Rose. "You seem to know."

Rose sat down on the chair next to Stella, avoiding her gaze. "I _would_ tell you," she said, "but friends don't tell friends stuff like what happened between Katerina and your daughter."

Stella's eyes widened. "What happened?" She cried, jumping up and placing her hands firmly on Rose's shoulders so she couldn't move. "What did Katerina do to my daughter? Did she hurt her?"

Rose shook her head. "Not directly, no. But much like she did with you, she used Andria to save her own life."

"How?" Selina asked.

"If Stella would kindly release me from her grasp, I need to get something before I tell you, since you seem so insistent. But really, if you knew the story, you would wish you could un-know it," Rose said as Stella released her shoulders and she stood up. "Now I'm going to go into the kitchen and grab a bottle of wine, and then we'll get the whole sordid story out into the open." She headed into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later. clutching a large bottle of red wine which she placed in Stella's lap. "Here, drink this," she said. "You'll need it, trust me."

"Oh, my God," Selina said as she watched Stella tip the bottle upward and take a large swig. "Are you sure it's a good idea to let her drink like that?"

"Yes," Rose nodded. "With any luck, she'll finish off the bottle and sleep it off till morning."

"So what happened with her daughter?" Selina asked.

"Well," Rose began, "Katerina's family line has the power in its blood to end the vampire curse."

"_What_?" Selina asked. "You aren't lying, are you?"

"No," Rose shook her head. "Hundreds of years ago, a deal was struck with one of Katerina's ancestors so that every so often, a double of that woman would be born. I'm not quite certain of every detail of the arrangement, but these doubles, or dopplegangers, have the power in their blood to end the curse of being a vampire for _everyone_, but in order for that to happen, Katerina, or whichever doppleganger the Orignals happen to catch, has to be sacrificed and their blood has to run."

"And naturally since Katherine's so big on self-preservation, of course she wasn't going to let herself be killed," Selina finished.

"Exactly," Rose nodded. "But, while she was on the run from Klaus, who just happens to be basically the oldest vampire there is, she ended up in England and there she ran into a man who claimed to be a magician and have all power over the dark arts and the weather, basically everything. She told him of her predicament, and he said he knew a way to solve her problem."

"And what was that?" Selina asked. She was holding on to the armrest of the sofa so hard that her knuckles were white.

"He told her," Rose continued, "that if she could bring him a girl, he could do a magic spell on said girl that would make _her_ family line produce dopplegangers that were just as good, and thus Katerina would be off the hook and no longer in danger from Klaus and the other Originals."

"And the girl Katherine chose to replace her was Andria, right?"

"Indeed she was," Rose said.

"Katerina Petrova handed my baby over to be killed save her own worthless life?" Stella's voice was slurred, but she was still very aware of the conversation.

"Yes, she did," Rose nodded. "Now keep drinking your wine and hopefully you'll forget you heard that by morning."

Stella resumed drinking and Rose continued the story. "So Katerina brought Andria to the magician and he did the spell. But there was no physical harm done to her and she continued to live the rest of her life as normal."

"Wait a minute," Selina leaned forward. "Are you trying to tell me that _I'm _one of the dopplegangers from Andria's family line?"

Rose's gaze shifted up to the picture and then back to Selina. "Look at the picture," she said. "What other answer is there?"

"You could be wrong," Selina said. "It could just be a coincidence."

Rose gave a short, humorless laugh. "I'm sure it's a coincidence that two people who were born hundreds of years apart look exactly the same down to the last freckle. Trust me, you're a doppleganger; I saw the whole thing happen with Andria."

"Well why didn't you stop it, then?" Selina demanded. "You're supposed to be her friend, after all!"

"We weren't friends then," Rose countered. "We didn't even meet until Stella left her husband, but trust me, if we _had_ been friends, I would have done all I could!" As she ended the sentence, her voice rose to a feverish pitch.

"Well all right, I'm sorry." Said Selina in surprise. "I was just a little curious, that's all."

"Well, I guess you of all people have the right to know," Rose conceded, then turned back toward the sofa as the very drowsy Stella flung the wine bottle aside.

"We better get her upstairs before she falls asleep and we can't move her at all," Rose said.

"Or," Selina pointed out, "we could just put her in a room down here. This is a big house; I'm sure there are several."

"Even better," Rose replied as she grabbed Stella's legs and Selina took her torso. It didn't take them long to find a room, and they placed Stella underneath the ivory comforter, tucking her in as neatly as they could. As soon as they left the room, Selina turned to Rose. "We were watching a movie before you showed up. You want to finish it with me?"

* * *

Rose left early the next morning, but gave Selina her number in case the latter was having problems with Stella that Selina couldn't handle. "And I'm going to be giving her husband a call later today," Rose said. "Very few things have the power to get Stella so worked up, but when she is, her husband's really the only one who can snap her out of it completely."

"Thanks," Selina nodded. "Until he comes, I'll do what I can."

Rose took her hand. "Good luck."

As Selina closed the door behind her, she grabbed her keys and her purse and, after leaving a note for Stella to tell her where she'd gone, got into her car to pick up some things at the boardinghouse.

"Hi," Stefan said when he opened the door. "How were things at Stella's? Are you better now?"

"You would think," Selina said, giving him a wry smile. "But actually, things are a hundred times worse."

"What's a hundred times worse?" Damon asked. coming down the stairs.

"It's a long story and I really don't have time to explain it to you," Selina said quickly. "Stella got drunk last night and her friend Rose and I got her to bed all right, but I really want to be back before she wakes up. I just came to pick up a few things."

"What do you need?" Damon asked.

"Well, I was thinking a blood bag from your stash because I don't think Stella fed yesterday, or that she'll be well enough to go out today, and then maybe a thermos of that hangover remedy you always make me after I have a long night."

"Wow," Damon sucked in his breath. "That bad, huh?"

"Yep," Selina said. She handed him a thermos and he made up the cure. "So what happened to her?" he asked. "Was she missing her husband?"

"Maybe," Selina twisted the cap on the thermos and put it on another part of the countertop. "But that wasn't what sent her over the edge. Apparently, Katherine's bloodline has in it the power to end the vampire curse, so she's been on the run from the Originals for years. And when she was hanging out in England in the early sixteenth century, she decided she was tired of running. She met up with this magician who told her that there was a spell to get her out of danger and to transfer that danger to somebody else's bloodline."

"And who was her victim?" Stefan asked.

Selina sighed. "Stella's daughter Andria."

"Oh, God," said Stefan, looking horrified. "And has there been a doppleganger since Andria had the spell put on her?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Rose thinks it's me."

Just as she said this, Damon came into the kitchen clutching two bags of blood. He almost dropped them, but managed to catch himself in time. "So you're in danger?" He asked. "You're in danger and Stella's out of it? That's just great." He handed her the blood bags and she grabbed the thermos and placed it in one of the side pockets of the backpack she carried after closing up the top.

"Don't worry about Stella," Selina reassured them. "Rose said that she was going to call Stella's husband later today. Apparently he's really good at getting her out of funks like this."

* * *

When Selina got back to Stella's house, she shut the front door quietly behind her, and then went to stand in front of the bedroom doors of the room where she and Rose had put Stella the night before. She put the blood bags down and took her backpack off, then knocked softly on the bedroom door. "Stella," she called softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," Stella called back. "And everything hurts."

Biting her lip on a smile, Selina grabbed the blood bags and the thermos and advanced into the room. "If you're hurting, I have a very effective hangover cure for you," she said.

"Really?" Stella asked groggily. "Where did it come from?"

Selina twisted the lid off the thermos and placed it on Stella's bedside table. "I saw Rose off this morning and then, since you were still asleep, I took a little jaunt back to the boardinghouse and had Junior make this up. It's what he makes me when I have a long night."

"Thanks," Stella said, picking it up and taking a drink that caused her to wrinkle her nose. "That stuff's potent. What the hell's in it?"

"I really don't know," Selina said. "Junior won't tell me, and to tell you the truth, that's how I prefer it."

Stella took one more drink and peered at Selina. "So Rose left?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, but she gave me her phone number, in case you wanted to talk to her later or something."

"You know," Stella leaned forward. "You're taking this remarkably well for someone who's just been told that they were marked for death."

Selina shrugged. "I just don't know if I believe it yet," she said. "I want more definite proof, and if I get that, _then_ I'll start worrying."

"Sounds sensible," Stella said. "Did Rose mention anything else before she left?"

"She said she was worried about you and that she was going to call your husband to come and help you out of your funk."

"My husband?" Stella's eyes widened and she slowly began to push the covers aside. "Did she honestly say that she was going to call my husband and have him come here?"

"Yep," Selina nodded. "That's what she said, all right. Oh, and in case you don't feel like leaving the house to hunt today, I brought you some blood bags from Junior's stash."

"Thanks," Stella said, "but I feel much better now, so you can stick those in the refrigerator."

"Are you sure?" Selina asked. "You aren't going to be drinking anymore, are you?"

"No." Now Stella was looking much more cheerful. "Now I'm on to phase two of my grief management process: the retail therapy phase. Do you want to come with me?"

"Really?" Selina asked, smiling. "Shop all day? With you?"

"I mean, I understand if you don't want to. You've been on your own for years and I'll probably just cramp your style," Stella said quickly.

"What style?" Selina asked, looking at the ratty jeans and washed out blue tee she was wearing. "Yours is so much better than mine. How about I change and you get dressed, and I'll meet you at your car in half an hour?"

"It's a deal," Stella nodded.

* * *

"You're clearly not a shopping greenhorn," Stella said with admiration as she watched Selina carry five shopping bags with ease.

"Well," Selina said, "I know you might find this hard to believe, but I've done some retail therapy in my time. After Junior and Stefan disappeared from my life, whenever it was one of their birthdays, I would go out to the stores and buy them presents and myself a whole bunch of new outfits as if I had a party to go to."

"How'd you pay for everything?" Stella asked. "Surely you weren't holding down a job?"

"No," Selina shook her head as they sat down in two of the seats of a terrace table for a sidewalk cafe. Stella ordered Diet Coke and Selina got a Pepsi. "I got all the money I had over the years from the guy who turned me. He was _loaded_, and after he ruined my life, I felt he at least owed me that."

Stella smiled and nodded. "I like the way you think."

"Of course I had to kill him first," Selina said.

Stella's eyes widened. "Why did you do that?"

Selina snorted. "You spend six months living in the woods and eating nothing but vermin and then see how sane you are when you get out."

Stella put her hand to her forehead. "You seriously spent six months in the woods living on vermin? But why?"

"Because once he found out I was a vampire, Junior and Stefan's father tried to kill me because he thought all vampires were evil abominations. I escaped with my life. And it wasn't just him. All the town leaders were rounding up vampires and suspected vampires in droves. Katherine even got caught for a little while. I couldn't risk going back. The woods were my only option. I _did_ run into Junior for a little bit after my transformation, but by that point, Katherine had warped his brain so much that he hated me and tried to kill me."

"Then what?" Stella asked.

"Stefan was there too, and he thought it would be best for us to separate for awhile, at least until Junior got his head on straight. He took me to my mother's because I'd heard that since my 'death' she hadn't been well. When she saw me, she was so far gone that she thought I was an angel come to take her up to heaven to be with me and my father. And when she touched me, I almost bit her. That's another reason why I ran away."

"I'm sorry," Stella said, reaching out and taking her hand.

"It's all right, actually," Selina said. "My father came back for her around a week later."

"What do you mean he came back for her?" Stella asked.

"Well," Selina answered, "my father went off to war when I was just an infant, and thanks to a letter from the army, we always assumed that he was killed by typhoid fever. But what was really going on was that he got sick and the nurse at the place where they stuck him developed a crush on him. Her name was Lucy and she was a vampire. She decided to turn my father without telling anybody so that when he died, he was mistakenly buried alive. After he was rescued, the doctor of the medical unit who was also a vampire, took my father in and showed him the ropes. Then, once my father was stable, he began making yearly trips back to Mystic Falls to see me, but my mother never knew because my father thought that would be best. But when he came in 1864, he found out that I was gone and that Mama was ill, so he went to her house and confessed everything, and then turned her. They ran off together after that. Kind of like you and your husband."

"Very much like us," Stella agreed. "So your parents are still living?"

"Unfortunately no," Selina shook her head. "My father was killed months ago in the act of saving my life, and my mother was murdered on Halloween by Katerina Petrova as part of her plot to get your necklace away from me." She paused. "This is going to sound really sappy and everything, but that's one of the reasons why I wanted to come with you today; you heard all that horrible stuff about Andria last night and you feel bad about it. You're a mother looking for a daughter. The last memory I have of my mother is her showing me the wedding dress she had made for me after she found out that Junior and I were engaged. She gave it to me on my last birthday, and then that night, Katerina Petrova tied her up and set her on fire. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

As she began to tear up, Stella came to her side and put her arms around her. "And you're a daughter looking for a mother."

"Yes, I guess I am," Selina sniffled. "Is that pathetic?"

"No," Stella shook her head and gave Selina another hug. "It's perfectly all right."

After they finished thier drinks and two large gourmet ice cream sundaes, they decided to head back to Stella's house. When they parked in the driveway, Stella frowned. "Something's going on," she said. "Hold tight to my hand; I think somebody broke in." Stella grabbed two of the bags they hadn't dropped off at the house in one hand and took Selina's in the other. They proceeded slowly into the house and up the front stairs to Stella's regular bedrom. When they reached it, Stella looked inside, gasped, and dropped the two shopping bags to the floor.

"What is it?" Selina asked. "Is it a burglar?"

"No," Stella said breathlessly, stepping aside so Selina could see. "It's my husband."

Selina moved so that she and Stella were standing side by side and she saw that Stella was right; there, sitting on Stella's window sill, was Damon Salvatore the First. When he saw them, his lips curved into an easy smile. "Hello, _Bella_. Hello Lina. I believe you called?"


	8. I Need You

Stella shook her head. "We didn't call." She turned to Selina. "Did we?" she asked. Selina shook _her_ head too. "We didn't. Rose did. I told you that this morning."

"Oh," Stella blinked. "You think I would have remembered that. Was I hung over when you told me? Because I never remember anything I'm told when I'm hung over."

"I'm sure you were sober," Selina insisted.

"Can I come in?" asked the figure at the window. "Do you mind?"

"I don't see what's stopping you," Selina said to him. "It's not like this is a human dwelling place."

"I guess you're right," he said. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Habit, maybe?" Selina suggested.

He shrugged. "I'll be by the front door in a few minutes. You'll have to let me in." He then shifted around so that his legs were out the window and jumped.

"Is he going to be all right?" Selina asked, starting forward in alarm before Stella put a restraining hand on her arm. "Of course he is," she said easily. "He does that all the time. It's one of his favorite tricks."

Selina stared wonderingly at the empty window for one more moment before allowing Stella to propel her down the stairs to the front door. They arrived just as Stella's husband began knocking. When she opened the door, he strode in with a grin on his face. "Looks like I won," he said.

"We weren't racing," Stella said. "Besides, Selina was worrying about you, and that delayed us."

"You were worrying about me?" Stella's husband asked Selina.

"Of course she was," Stella said. "She saw you jumping out a window like that and she thought you were plunging to your doom."

He put a hand on Selina's shoulder. "Don't worry about it; I do it all the time. Very few things can kill me anymore."

Selina smiled and nodded. "That's good. It's great to see you again, Mr. Smith."

He blinked and then gave her a slight smile, just one corner of his mouth up. "You remember that? I hoped you would."

"What are you talking about?" Stella asked Selina.

"Well," Selina said, "come into the living room and I'll tell you."

She led them into the living room, sitting on the couch while Stella and her husband shared the loveseat. Stella looked at her inquistively before answering. "He used to live near us," she said finally. "When I was small."

"_Really?"_ Stella asked. "That's a surprise."

"Why?" he asked, looking affronted, his dark eyes blazing. "Stella, what are you trying say?"

"Goodness," Stella said quickly. "I wasn't trying to say anything. It's just that you've always had a taste for the finer things and for the most part, this town doesn't offer many."

"I admit it wasn't the most comfortable period of my life," he said. "But I did it because I felt I had something to make up for."

"Can I ask what?" Selina prompted.

"Well," he sighed. "It has to do with Andria; at the beginning of the sixteenth century, she was young, about sixteen and she'd just gotten married. I'd been watching her before that, just liike Stella and I had decided; she'd watch over Gianni and his descendants, and I'd take Andria and hers. Anyway, after she got married, I relaxed a little, stopped keeping such a vigilant eye because I thought that since she was married, nothing bad would happen to her."

"But something _did _happen, didn't it?" Selina pressed.

"Yes," he nodded. "I came back one day to look for her and she was gone. I asked her husband, and he said that she'd been kidnapped by a band of roving beggars and that he'd been waiting for a ransom note, but none had come. He was just sick about it."

"And so were you, I bet," Stella said, putting her arms around him.

He nodded. "I left and returned a week later. I saw Andria was back, but something was wrong. Her expression was vacant and she wouldn't speak to anybody, except in single syllable words. And at night, she would thrash and cry out in her sleep."

"Like I did when I was little and having those terrible nightmares about..._her?" _Stella asked.

He nodded. "Yes, it was very much like that. I watched her go through that torture for a couple of nights, and then, on the third night-"

"You went into her mind, didn't you?" Stella said in a high voice. "What did you see?"

He put a hand on her arm. "Nothing I'd want you to know about," he said. "It was all pretty awful."

Stella groaned and punched him in the arm. "Damn it, Damon!" she burst out. "Tell me the truth! Somebody should. I don't care about how bad it is, I just want to know what happened to my baby!"

His gaze hardened. "No," he said, putting his hands firmly on her shoulders. "I'm absolutely serious about this, Stella. It's not something you want to know about. If you want to feel guilt, think about the miserable failure that is Junior one and Junior two."

Stella raised up her arm as if she was going to hit him again. He didn't flinch. He looked her straight in the eye for a moment, his hard gaze never wavering. When Stella realized she wasn't going to get anywhere on her own, she looked at Selina appealingly. "You have a rapport with hm," she said. "Get him to tell me what happened to Andria."

Selina stared at her for a moment. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I'm with Damon on this one. I think it would be best if you didn't press the issue anymore."

"What?" Stella asked, her voice shaking. "I don't believe this. After all we've been through, you're siding with _him_?"

"Yes, I am." Selina said, her voice hard. "And it surprises _me_ that you're putting me in the middle of all of this. I would have thought that you would have been kind enough, considering all I've been through, to just keep me out of things."

"What do you mean?" Stella asked.

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Selina shrieked, jumping off the couch. "Do I need to repeat everything I told you about at the mall today? About how my father died fighting a war he shouldn't have even had to take part in? How my mother married the biggest jackass in the world and subsequently let Katerina Petrove into our lives? How that same man made my mother so depressed, I found her attempting to slit her wrists no less than _four times _while I was growing up? Hell, on the day Junior left to go fight for the Confederacy, I put a gun to my temple. If he hadn't shown up to say goodbye at just the right moment, he would have found me slumped over in the chair, my head exploded and my brains all over the floor." Her voice was shaking, and so was her body. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I never told Mama about it, you know. Until she came back that is. And do you have any idea how hard it is to tell your mother that you were once so miserable you wanted to be dead?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at Stella. "Well, do you?" She paused, and when Stella didn't respond, she said quietly, "especially when you know in your heart that some of the misery was your mother's fault. So tell me, Stella. I know that the two of you decided that you were going to watch Gianni's descendants, but I'm going to assume that you're concerned about Andria as well. And I _know_ that even though you don't have any idea what actually went on when Andria was handed over to the magician, you still feel that some of it is your fault. Do you honestly want to add on to the guilt that you feel by hearing in detail what your daughter suffered because you left her and thought only of your own pleasure? Think about that, and make sure you have a definite answer before you press to learn about Andria's fate." She looked at Damon. "And I'd be more grateful to him if I was you, Stella. He's really doing you a favor."

Stella's husband stood up and put a hand on Selina's shoulder. "Are you going to be all right?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I think I just need to go home and lie down."

"Do you want me to drive you back to the boardinghouse?" Stella asked quietly.

"No, thank you," Selina said. "You've done quite enough for me tonight. I'll get home perfectly fine on my own. There was a reason why I asked you to pick up my car on the way back here." And with that, she strode from the room, grabbed a second bottle of red wine from the wine rack and headed out the door. She opened the door to the back seat and put the wine in the pocket right in front of it. Then, she got into the driver's seat, feeling herself begin to tear up again. "Damn Stella," she whispered. "Damn her for making me live some of the worst memories of my life all over again." After wiping a few tears from her eyes on the sleeve of her new black leather jacket, she turned the key in the ignition and the car roared to life. Selina backed slowly out of Stella's driveway, but just as she reached the bottom, it began to rain. Selina began driving, choosing not to turn her wipers on, instead letting sheets of rain cascade down her windshield, blurring her view of the road ahead of her and the other cars on it. Despite this, she managed to go on for quite awhile without crashing into anything. When she reached the road that would lead her back to the boardinghouse, she decided to go past it and take another road instead. She didn't know where it would lead her, but it had to be better than where she was right now. She headed blindly down this new road, the steering wheel moving underneath her fingertips. However, she now felt curiously removed from her body. Her hands were steering and her feet were dealing with the brakes, but she was no longer aware of where she was.

A sudden flash of lightning brought her back to awareness with a cruel suddeness. It illuminated the road in front of her and she saw to her horror that she was headed straight into the path of an oncoming semi. Breathing heavily, she used all her strength to turn the car out of the truck's path. She avoided being hit, but the force of the turn was too much for Selina's car. Once she was out of the truck's way, the car skidded on a gravally puddle and flipped three times before landing in a grassy embankment on the side of the road. Selina shut her eyes just before the car turned over, waiting for the moment of impact, for the hot, searing burn of flaming rubber and the sharp, stinging pain of broken glass. When the windshield burst, shards of glass scratched her face. She could feel thin streams of blood running down her cheek. Then, she blacked out.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Selina opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. Everything looked so strange. It took her a little while, but she finally realized that the car was flipped over and she was upside down. Everything hurt, especially her head and her face. She felt her cheeks and forehead. There were several scabs in both places. Her hair and clothes were soaked, probably from the heavy rain which was pouring into the car from the large, jagged hole in her windshield, but the water was cool and helped relieve her aches and pains just a little. She pushed some wet hair away from her face, and considered what she could do. First, she tested her seatbelt. Luckily, it wasn't broken. She thought about undoing it, and then realized that gravity would make her pay dearly for that decision. So, she just stayed where she was, reminding herself to keep breathing. Eventually, (she wasn't quite how much later), the rain finally let up. Shifting her position as much as she could, Selina plunged her hand into her jean pocket, grabbing her phone and praying that it still worked. It turned on, but to her dismay, the storm had taken its toll and there wasn't much power left. Praying that Damon had his phone on, she texted **crashed my car. Am stuck outside of town, please come help me.** Then, she pressed the send button and hoped for the best.

* * *

Back at the boardinghouse, Stefan, Elena and Damon were watching television. "It's been awhile since I heard from Selina," Damon said suddenly. "Do you think I should give her a call and see if she's all right? I'm not so sure she drives well in storms."

"That might be a good idea," Stefan agreed. "Just to be sure. And if she mocks you about it later, you can just say you were being a caring husband."

Damon nodded and got up, going into the kitchen, grabbing his phone and turning it on. A text message appeared after the happy turn on music ended. Damon felt his body stiffen. "Oh, my God," he said.

"What?" Stefan said, coming into the kitchen. "Is something wrong?"

"I have to go," Damon said quickly, grabbing his rain coat. "Selina's crashed her car somewhere outside of town and now she's stuck."

"Do you want us to come too?" Stefan called after him.

"No," Damon shook his head. "You stay here. I'm going to call when I find her and I want you to answer it." He shut the door behind him and got into his car, going much faster than he was allowed. He didn't care about any other people that he might crash into. There was something much more important at stake. He kept his phone on in case Selina sent him anymore texts, but got nothing else. He drove around for an hour before he finally spotted her car turned over in an out-of-the-way embankment. He parked on the side of the road, got out, slammed his door and then ran across the road, causing a white van to swerve and the angry driver to give him the finger. He paid no attention. When he reached Selina's car, he got down on the pavement beside it, ignoring water soaking into his jeans, and looked inside to see if Selina was all right. "Lina?" he called. "Sweetheart, are you all right? Where are you?"

"I'm here." The voice was weak, but he finally saw her, belted in and hanging upside down. Her face was obscured by her long curtain of hair. "Thanks for coming."

"Of course I came," he said. "Hang on just a few more minutes and I'll get you out."

It took a little while, but he finally managed to free Selina from both seltbelt and car. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked her once they were clear of the wreck.

"No," she moaned. "Hurts too much. What about the wine?"

"What wine?" he asked.

"Before I left," she gasped, "I took a bottle of wine from Stella's house and put it in the pocket behind the front passenger's seat. Check and see of it's still there." She moaned again.

"Lina," Damon looked at the car. "The car's been destroyed. I'm sure the bottle's shattered."

"Would you just check anyway?" she asked. "It was a good bottle and it would be a shame to waste it."

Realizing that she wasn't going to let it go, he placed her in the backseat and belted her in, hoping that she would fall asleep. Once she was settled, he went back to the car and checked where she'd indicated. Surely enough, there was a wine bottle placed in the passenger seat back pocket just as she'd said, and by some miracle of nature, it was all in one piece. He picked it up and looked it over. "Italian red," he said to himself. "Excellent. No wonder she didn't want to let it go." He took it back to the car and handed it to Selina who hugged it to her chest and then leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes. As soon as he was firmly settled in his own seat, Damon pulled out his phone and dialed the boardinghouse. "I found Selina and we're on our way back," he said. "She's really scraped up and probably should stay in bed tomorrow, but she's been through worse. Can't say the same for her car though. It won't be able to be saved. I guess we'll just have to get her a new one. All right, we'll be back soon." He snapped his phone closed and started the car.

* * *

When he arrived back at the boardinghouse, he parked the car, and then got out and went around to the passenger's seat to get Selina. He opened the door and gently pried the wine bottle from her fingers, placing it in the cupholder. Then, he unbuckled her, and, doing his best not to wake her, carried her slowly up to her room, placing her on her bed. Then, he went downstairs to where Stefan and Elena sat waiting. "She looks awful," Elena remarked. "All those scratches and cuts...where do you think they came from?"

"Probably from when the car flipped over and the windshield broke. I bet shards went everywhere." Damon paused. "Listen Elena," he said. "Can I ask you a favor? Selina's clothes are soaked and I really want her to sleep in dry ones. Could you make that happen? Just be careful not to aggravate any of her cuts."

"Sure," she said, heading upstairs. "And don't worry, I'll be careful."

"Thank you," he said.

Elena headed upstairs. When she reached Selina's room, she got Selina to open her eyes long enough so that she was slightly helpful with changing into a warm, dry pair of pajamas. Then, even though she wasn't sure it would work, she drove to the store and grabbed some neosporin to put on Selina's cuts and bruises. She dried her hair and then tucked her in, turning off the light. "Selina's asleep," she announced when she reached the living room. "Do you think somebody should stay the night with her in case she wakes up?"

"I'll do it," Damon said. "You two can go about your business." He headed upstairs, going past the room he and Selina shared to the room she used on her own when they were fighting or one of them was injured. He stood by her bed and gazed down at her. He wanted to touch her so badly, just to let her know that he was glad she was still here, but her cheeks and hands were cut and bruised. Any contact would only hurt her. Sighing, he went back to their room and grabbed a pillow and some blankets. "Goodnight, Lina," he whispered once he got himself settled. He tried to sleep, but finally realized it was useless. He got up, grabbed her desk chair, placed it beside the bed, and waited out the hours until morning.

* * *

"Damon?" The sound of her voice brought him back to consciousness.

"Yes?" He said to her. "Do you hurt? Can I get you anything?"

She sat up and groaned. "My head. God, that was some number I did on myself last night."

He nodded. "You crashed you car. Do you remember that?"

"Yes," she said. "I ran into a gravelly puddle and lost control of the car. You came and got me."

"Why did you try and drive home on your own?" he asked. "Why didn't you let Stella drive you? It would have been safer."

Selina growled. "I hate Stella. She was the whole reason I drove off by myself. Remember how I told you that her husband showed up yesterday?"

He nodded.

"Well," Selina continued, pushing up the long sleeves of her white silk nightgown, "the three of us got to talking and eventually, her husband says that he knows exactly what happened to Andria after Katherine had her kidnapped. Well, Stella wants to know, and her husband won't tell her because it's too horrible and he thinks Stella's already carrying around enough guilt as it is, but Stella just kept pushing and pushing and even tried to get me to convince her husband to tell her what happened. And then I sided with him, which made Stella mad, so I pointed out all the bad stuff in my life that I had to tell Mama, and how hard that was, and well...by the end I was so pissed off that I grabbed a bottle of wine and high-tailed it out of there. I just couldn't take it anymore."

Damon frowned. "I think I want to have a talk with her later today. She has some things to answer for."

"Can I come too?" Selina asked. "I mean, after we get me healed up of course. I must look like hell. I can't wait to see the look on your face when you meet her husband for the first time. It's going to be quite the visit."

"Yes," Damon said, his voice hard. "Yes, it is."


	9. Love is a Battlefield

"Good morning," Stella said as she came downstairs to the living room wrapping her pink silk komono tighter around her. When her husband didn't look up, she rolled her eyes and sat down next to him. "Did you hear me?" She asked him. "I said good morning." His head slowly turned toward her and he looked at her for a moment before turning back to his morning paper. folding it up, and slamming it down hard on the coffee table. "I hope you're proud of yourself!" he burst out.

"What do you mean?" she asked, startled by his show of emotion. Usually he was so self-contained.

He stood up and walked around so that he was looming over her. "I'm sure you saw Lina leave yesterday. And noticed how upset she was. You caused that, and you know it."

She stood up, pulling the clip out of her black hair so that it tumbled around her face. "Well, I was a little overwrought last night. And I _do_ feel bad about what happened with Selina. Do you think I don't? I'd be heartless if I didn't!"

At her tone, he backed off a little. He stared at her for a few moments and then stalked off toward the kitchen. "Where are you going?" she called, running after him. "I've never known you to run off from a fight before."

He said nothing, but glared at her some more before picking up his paper again.

Growling in exasperation, Stella stood up and snatched the paper away. "I don't know what the hell is going on with you," she snapped. "But it's going to stop right now."

"What's going on?" he asked, looking as innocent as he could look. "Nothing's going on."

"Well that's a big lie," Stella snapped. "You've hardly spoke to me since yesterday. All you've done is give me angry looks."

"And you're wondering why?" he asked dryly. "If you still are, then you're not as smart as I thought."

"I know it's about Selina," she said, sighing. "And I know I behaved horribly yesterday. But tell me this: why is it that when you do something bad to me, it doesn't take half as long for me to forgive you as it does for you to forgive me when I do something bad to you?"

A grin slowly spread over his face. "Well that's easy enough to answer," he said. "You're easier to read than a pop-up book. It doesn't take a lot to soften you up."

Stella felt herself go cold. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He leaned toward her, wearing a know-it-all expression that made her want to smack him. "You're really angry at me right now, aren't you?" he asked.

"No," she said dryly. "I want to hug you and throw you a parade. Of course I'm mad at you, you idiot!"

"_Really_?" He asked.

"Really," she nodded resolutely. "And nothing you can do can change that."

His left eyebrow hiked up. "Oh, really?" he said striding over to her, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her. "How about now?" he asked as she pulled away. "Are you still mad at me?" And for a moment, he saw her carefully controlled exterior break, saw the stunned amazement and dawning joy in her face. But soon, the mask was back on. "Yes, I'm still mad at you," she said. Then, another pause, an expression change: "Maybe I am, I don't know." Then, she put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "I hate you so much right now. Goodbye!" She turned away and strode back upstairs to her room. "I love you, too!" he called after her, grinning. "Now who's running away from a fight?" he said to himself once she was out of earshot.

* * *

He didn't expect her to come back downstairs right away, and she didn't. By the time he saw Stella again, it was noon and she was dressed. "Feeling better?" he asked her as she came back into the living room.

"As a matter of fact, I am," she said, smiling easily. "Thank you for asking."

He glanced at her suspiciously. "Why are you so happy?"

She shrugged. "No reason," she said. "While I was upstairs, I realized something. You know how you said earlier that I was easier to read than a pop-up book?"

"Yes," he said.

"Well," she told him, "every scientific journal article I've read on sexual attraction in men and women says the exact opposite. In reality, it's _men _who are easier to read than pop-up books."

"Oh, _really_?" he asked. "And why, pray tell, is that?"

"Because," Stella said, grinning widely, "when men go in search of a sexual partner, they rely primarily on physical characteristics as their key markers to become aroused. Women, on the other hand, need emotional connections _in addition_ to the physical characteristics."

"So...what are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying," she said, "that if you kissed me right now, I'd be able to pull away any time i damn well wanted to. But if I took it upon myself to try out the same sort of thing on you, you wouldn't be able to pull away because that's just not how you're wired."

He laughed. "I doubt it," he said.

"Oh, yeah?" Stella leaned in. "Would you care to bet on that?"

"Certainly." They were practically nose to nose now. "How would you propose we test your ridiculous little theory?"

Stella pulled back a little. "You don't have to worry. I've already got an idea. You just stay here and I'll be back in a few minutes. Or better yet, go up to my room. That might be easier for you."

She disappeared and he went into the living room to ponder for a few moments about what was going to happen. She seemed really pleased with it. That didn't bode well for him. It meant he was going to lose. He hated losing arguments to Stella. Almost as much as she hated losing arguments to him. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice her coming back downstairs. "Hey," she said, tapping him on the shoulder. "Are you going to come upstairs, or aren't you?"

He blinked and looked up at her, starting. He'd expected her to be dressed in one of the skimpy little outfits she wore when she was trying to win a fight, but instead, she was clad in blue jeans, a thick blue and white striped sweater and thick white socks. He stared at her for a few seconds and then burst out laughing. "If this is your plan," he said when he could get a breath, "you'll have to come up with something else because the look isn't working for me." He paused. "Or are we going skiing somewhere?"

"No," she shook her head. "We're not going skiing. We're doing an experiment, and the outfit is part of it. Now come upstairs."

He looked her over again, burst into fresh peals of laughter, and followed her up to her room. "Now," she said after he had seated himself on the bed and she'd taken a position next to a walnut chest of drawers with a mirror attached to it and grabbed a pad of paper in one hand and a kitchen timer in the other. "I have on this pad of paper the sequence of events for this experiment. I also have a stopwatch. For each trial, I'm going to take off one piece clothing and time how long you kiss me until there's nothing left. Do you understand?"

"Yes I do," he grinned. "You're going to give me striptease. That's very kind of you,_ Bella. _I didn't know you were into such things."

"All right," she said quickly. "Let's get one thing straight. This is _not_ a striptease. It's a scientific experiment. There's a very big difference between the two."

His eyes twinkled. "I'm sure there is," he said. "When do we start?"

She squared her shoulders. "I was thinking right now." Then, she kissed him. It was surprisingly easy for him to pull away. When he did so, she didn't look shocked. She just pressed the stop button on the kitchen timer, recorded the number, and then removed the sweater. The experiment continued with her looking at the timer after every trial and writing down the results. He wondered what they were. Finally, they got to the point where the trial of her standing in her panties was finished. "Are you okay?" she asked him as soon as she'd written down the number from the kitchen timer. "Do you think you'll be able to finish this?"

"Of course," he said, unable to make his eyes leave her body. "I wouldn't be able to call myself a man if I didn't."

"All right," she gave a long, drawn out sigh, then looked at him. "I take it you want to do the honors? Just let me start the timer." She started the timer, and despite his best intentions to prove her wrong, soon they were stripped of what they were wearing, and the world disappeared, but not before Stella whispered "looks like I won." He whispered back, "I really don't care."

* * *

When he came back to reality, he found himself alone in the bed. The room was dark, but illuminated by candles. After getting his bearings, he called for Stella. She came out of the bathroom clad in a new bathrobe, this one red sile with black lace around the edges. She came and sat down beside him, running her hands up and down the muscles of his back. "What just happened?" he asked her.

"I won," she said quietly. She grabbed one of the candles and handed it to him, then grabbed the note pad, where she'd written down the times for each trial. "See?" she said, indicating each number. "The less I was wearing, the more aroused you got. But that doesn't surprise me." She stood up. "You should probably get dressed pretty soon. Junior just called. He and Selina are coming over in a few hours. They want to have a talk."

* * *

"Did you call Stella?" Selina asked. "Does she know that we're coming?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded as he came into her room. "I called; she knows we're coming. It won't be for a couple of hours, though." He gave her a severe look. "Until then, I want you to stay in here and rest up, all right?"

"Why should that be necessary?" Selina asked, deftly getting out of the bed and running to the bathroom, emerging fully healed soon after. "See?" She said, shutting the bathroom door behind her. "I'm perfectly fine. No extra bedrest necessary."

"I don't care," he said, frowning. "I want you to stay in bed anyway. Maybe then, you won't get yourself in any trouble."

"I won't get into any trouble," Selina said. "I promise."

He shook his head. "You stay, and I'll come get you when it's time for us to leave."

Selina growled and punched at a pillow. "This is just like when Mason had me trapped at the mansion after he turned me human again. You're as bad as he was."

"Now just a minute," he said striding over to her, his blue eyes cold and steely. "Do you have any idea how I feel every time something like this happens to you?" he asked. "How I felt when Michael kidnapped you, or when I found out that you'd defied me and gone over to Lucy's house to accuse her of murder? Or how about when you got kidnapped by Sheriff Forbes. Do you remember that? When I tell you not to do certain things, it's not because I want to imprison you, or stop you from having fun, or whatever the hell else you think I mean. It's because I love you, and I hate it when bad things happen to you. I hate to see you hurt. And whenever I _see_ you hurt, it just, well, it hurts me just as much."

"What do you mean?" Selina asked, sitting back on the bed, gazing at him spellbound.

He sighed and sat down next to her on the bed, putting his arms around her. "Remember the night you came back and I asked you for your blood?" She nodded, putting her head on his shoulder. "Your father found us and tried to kill me because he knew what I was."

"But you got away," Damon said, hugging her closer to him. "After you ran off into the night, I was terrified. Since Father knew you were a vampire, I knew he would have no problem with telling the town leaders that you were loose and sending them after you. I figured that since you were out on your own, you'd be dead by morning. I wanted to come after you and get you somewhere safe, but Father wouldn't let me."

"Oh, my God," Selina said. "I get it now. So every time you see me hurt _now_, it takes you back to the first time you thought you failed to save me a hundred and forty-six years ago and you have to relive the fear and hurt all over again." She hugged him. "I'm sorry," she said. "I had no idea." She smiled and kissed him. "If you wouldn't mind bringing me a Coke, I'll happily stay in here until it's time for us to leave for Stella's."

"You got it," he said, letting her go, getting off the bed, and leaving the room. He returned with her Coke a few minutes later. "Thank you," he said, smiling at her as he handed it to her.

"You're welcome," she said, smiling back.

* * *

Two hours later, Damon and Selina were on their way to Stella's house. "Now remember," Selina said, "when you address Stella you have to stay _calm_," she said. "It's all right that you have issues with her, but if you make her mad, who knows what wrath she'll release on this town."

"You don't have to worry about that," he said easily, taking her hand. "After our little talk, I don't think it's such an issue anymore."

"So if you don't want to go over to Stella's to yell at her anymore, then why are we going?" Selina asked.

Damon put his hand back on the wheel. "Well, according to you, her husband's come back, right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded, then her eyes lit up. "And you want to meet him, don't you?"

"Well," he nodded. "I can't say I'm not curious. Where do we turn?"

Selina rolled her eyes. "I don't see why you couldn't just let me drive."

"Three words," Damon replied. "It's. My. Car."

"Whatever," Selina said. "Turn right up here."

He turned and went down the road that led to the driveway of Stella's house. He parked and then they headed up to the front door. "You knock," Damon whispered. "I don't know who's going to answer and you know everybody."

Selina nodded and knocked on the door three times. A few minutes later, Stella opened it. "Come in you two!" she said brightly. "We've been expecting you."

"We've?" Damon repeated as he and Selina followed her inside. "Where's your husband?"

Stella looked at him and grinned. "I figured you'd be interested in him. He left about twenty minutes ago because he wanted to find a good wine for us, but he should be back soon."

"Actually," Selina said, "we brought back the red I took the other night. I assume that's good enough?"

"Sure," Stella said. "Options are always delightful." She took the bottle and Damon and Selina took a seat. A few minutes later, they heard the sound of a key in the front door. "Oh, look," Stella said. "There's my husband now."

"Stella, are they here yet?" he called.

"Yeah," she called back. "In the leaving room with me. And they brought back the bottle of red that Selina took the other night so we have options!"

"Great!"

"I thought you didn't drink much anymore," Damon said.

"I don't," Stella said. "But this is a special occasion. We can all have a little."

A few minutes later, Damon the First appeared in the entryway to the living room. "Hello," he said, looking at them.

Selina smiled. "Well that was a bit anticlimactic," she said. "I thought you were going to come through the window again."

"Not this time," he shook his head and removed his coat, hanging it on a rack in the corner. Then he turned to face the two on the couch. "So," he said, "how's things?"

Stella and Selina looked at one another. "Maybe we should leave these two alone," Stella suggested. "They might talk better without us."

"Agreed," Selina said, standing up. "Meet you in the library?"

"Sounds good," Stella nodded, filling two glasses and following Selina out of the living room and leaving Damon the First and Damon the Second alone. They stared at one another in silence for several minutes until Stella's husband finally said "Lina seems to be doing all right. Is she?"

"Yeah," he said. "Lina's fine. She's amazingly resilient. But I bet you've already picked up on that."

Stella's husband nodded. "I did, actually. It's amazing how someone can live through all the stuff she did and come out so normal."

"Did you know," Damon told him, "that there are only two people in Selina's life who have done absolutely nothing bad to her?"

"And who would those be?" Stella's husband asked.

"They would be my mother and my brother," he admitted. "In fact, it was even the act of saving Selina from vampire hunters that got my brother shot by my father that got my brother killed and started his whole ordeal as a vampire."

"So there's a connection between Lina and your brother?" Stella's husband asked.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "But not so much anymore. Now it's mainly just Lina and me."

"You're lucky," Stella's husband said. "After our mother died and Stella moved in with us, she took it upon herself to look after my brother and now she sees him as a sort of replacement for Andria and Gianni."

"Ouch," Damon said. "But what about you?"

Stella's husband sighed. "That's the thing about Stella and me: we both like control, and in order to let somebody care for you, you have to give up control and for us that's hard. But I guess, in a way, it's my fault too."

"Why?" Damon asked.

"Stella's told you about her past, right?" her husband asked, looking at Damon very seriously.

"You mean about her crazy grandmother and her stupid cousin Kristina?" Damon asked. "Yeah, I know about that."

"Well," Damon the First continued, "when Stella was eight years old, her parents came to our house to pick her up for her grandfather's birthday party. She was gone for two weeks and when she came back, she was just a mess. She'd cry herself to sleep every night and have very graphic dreams about murdering her grandmother. Finally, one day I told her that if she wanted to get her grandmother to leave her alone, the best thing to do was to not let her grandmother see the effect her abuse had on her; that whenever she was around her grandmother, she shouldn't cry, because crying was a sign of weakness and that Stella wasn't weak; she was strong. And Stella listened to that piece of advice, a little too well, I'm afraid. Now she won't let anyone see her cry; most of the time, not even me. Not even when it would be good for her." He sighed.

"Well frankly," Damon said, "that doesn't surprise me after what Stella went through. I mean, to have her _grandmother_, of all people show her so much hatred, it's just hard to imagine." He shuddered.

"I'm glad Lina had somebody like you looking out for her," Stella's husband said. "She's turned out well in spite of an absent father, a depressed mother, and a cruel stepfather. And you haven't turned out so bad yourself."

Damon nodded. "I do my best. Although sometimes it's a bit difficult. Lina's got a bit of a reckless streak sometimes."

Stella's husband smiled. "I wish Stella did; then I'd have to save her and I'd feel like I actually had a purpose."

"Be careful what you wish for," Damon warned. "I don't know how many figurative heart attacks my dear Lina's given me just in the months since we got back together."

"So basically," Stella's husband said, "our perfect woman would be a combination of Stella and Lina?"

Damon smiled. "I'd pay to see that."

"Pay to see what?"

They turned around and saw Stella and Selina standing at the entrance to the living room. "Nothing," Stella's husband said easily. "Men things, you wouldn't be interested."

Stella eyed him suspiciously, but decided to let it go. "So," she said, sitting down on the couch. "Did the two of you find something to talk about?"

"Several things actually," Damon said. "This and that, the weather, you two."

"Us?" Stella and Selina said together.

"Yeah," Damon nodded.

"Well," Selina said looking at Stella, "we _are_ two of the things they have in common."

"Now what do you two want to do?" Stella asked, looking at her husband.

"I think," he said, "that pretty soon here we should look into whether or not the story Rose told about Selina being Andria's double has any veracity to it, because if you're going to be in danger from the Originals at any point in the future, we want to be as knowledgeable as we can."

"I agree," Stella said. "But where should we start?"

"Well," Selina said, I think that it was my father's family that Andria was part of, and my Uncle Andrew was the big geneology guy in our family. He made up charts, kept diaries, all this stuff like you wouldn't believe. After he died, it was donated to his namesake museum in Charleston."

"So if we go to this museum," Stella said carefully, "your uncle's reseach material will all be there?"

"Should be," Selina nodded. "Although it's away from public view. But I've finangled my way into the archives several times, so getting the stuff shouldn't be a problem."

"All right," Stella said, putting her hands on her knees. "The four of us will go tomorrow? Would that work?"

"Sure," Damon said. "What time?"

"Early afternoon," Stella said. "I'm not a morning person."

"I just remembered something," Selina said.

"What?" Stella replied. "Is it something bad?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "When I was born, my father and my uncle made me a memory box so that if my father died fighting I would always be able to remember him and know about his family. It's under my bed at the boardinghouse."

"And you haven't looked at it since your mother gave it to you, have you?" Damon asked.

"Nope," Selina shook her head.

"All right," Stella said. "That sounds like it might have some promising leads. Let's take a look at it."

"And if you came over, it would give your husband a chance to meet my brother...and Elena." Damon said.

"Oh," Stella said. "I'll be sure to talk to him about Elena before we come."

"That would be nice I think. He should be prepared for her," Selina said.

"Why?" Stella's husband asked. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's a double for Katerina Petrova," Stella told him.

"But don't worry," Selina said quickly, "she's much nicer. See you two tomorrow!" She said as Damon led her out the door.

"Are you gong to be all right?" Stella asked her husband as he collapsed on the couch, looking shell-shocked.

"I will be," he said. "Just as soon as I have a drink."


	10. Total Eclipse of the Heart

"So how did things go at Stella's?" Stefan asked as Damon and Selina came through the door. "Did the four of you play nice or do we need to attend to wounds?"

"Actually," Selina said, "it went quite well, thank you. In fact, it went so well they want to come over tomorrow and meet_ you_." She looked at Stefan. "Would that be all right? Because we told them it would be. Can I have some orange juice please?"

"Sure," Stefan replied, pouring the juice into glass and handing it to her. "Here."

"Thanks," she replied, going into the nearby living room to sit on the couch. "What's the matter? You look nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Stefan said quickly, taking a seat next to her. "Why should I be nervous?"

"I don't know," Selina shrugged. "They're your feelings, not mine. You tell me."

"He's nervous," Damon replied, "because his namesake is the one person that Stella's husband hates more than anyone on the planet and he's worried the negative feelings will transfer onto him." He sat down in an armchair and gazed at Stefan knowingly.

"That's not quite true," Stefan said quickly. "It's always a little nervewracking to meet new people."

"Don't worry," Selina said, smiling and patting him once on the leg. "Stella says that her husband and her brother-in-law tolerate each other now. Plus, with Elena here, he'll be much more scared of you than you are of him."

"Who'll be scared of me?" Elena asked, coming into the living room from the bathroom. "Where were the two of you by the way?"

"We were at Stella's," Damon said easily. "Originally, it was to straighten things out about the upset that led to Selina destroying her car, which was totally Stella's fault, but then Selina and I had a talk before we left so I felt better and the time at Stella's house was more of a friendly chat session."

"So who'll be scared of me?" Elena repeated, looking at Selina.

"Well," Selina said, "it just so happens that Stella's husband stopped by not too long ago, and now that he's met Damon, he wants to meet Stefan, and naturally I assumed that when he and Stella come to visit tomorrow, you'll be here too. And since you're a deadringer for the very vampire who betrayed him, his wife, his brother, and his daughter and caused them all to have major issues with their lives, naturally, the the prospect of seeing you is making him a little nervous. I wouldn't be surprised if Stella gets him hammered before she brings him."

"His daughter?" Elena asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "Why would Katherine want to do something evil to his daughter?"

Selina, Damon and Stefan looked at one another. "I forgot," Selina said gently, "you don't know about it. I thought I told you, but apparently not. You know about your being a Petrova doppleganger, just like Katherine is, and you know that that means that the Originals are after her, or you, to end the vampire curse."

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I know that. I think about it every day. Who knows when they're going to swoop down on me and take me hostage."

"Well," Selina sighed. "You might not be in as much danger as we originally thought."

"Really?" Elena's eyes brightened for a minute, then she sobered. "Why not? What changed?"

"Well," Selina continued, "Apparently, when Katherine was in England in the early sixteenth century, she came in contact with a magician. She told him her predicament and he said he knew a way to get her out of the way of the Originals. He told her that he knew a spell that would cause some other girl's bloodline to produce dopplegangers as well, and that would make the Originals less interested in her and hers and maybe keep them out of danger forever. Of course, being the enthusiastic life preservationist that she was, she seized upon this bit of information and left immediately to find the girl that would be the receipient of the transfer."

"And who was that?" Elena asked.

"Damon the First and Stella's daughter Andria."

"Oh, my God," Elena sucked in her breath. "That's terrible. What did they do to her?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know, but it was horrible apparently. Afterwards, Andria was never quite the same."

"So did the spell work after all that?" Elena asked. "I assume it did."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "It did, and quicker than usual. I think a doppleganger usually shows up every five hundred years as long as the spell is on the family, but for Andria's line, it only took 338 years."

"338 years from when?" Elena asked.

"338 years from 1508," Selina said.

"But that would be-" Elena paused to do the math. "1846. Wasn't that the year you were born?"

"Yep," Selina said heavily, "it was."

"No," Elena began shaking her head. "You don't mean it. You can't be serious."

"I am," Selina said, her voice solemn. "It's either you or me. Originals, take your pick."

* * *

That night, after Selina had showered and dressed in black sweatpants and a white camisol for bed, she came out of the bathroom and saw that Damon was lying on their bed and staring at her. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Are you okay?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," he said. "Are _you_ okay?"

"Yeah," she nodded, sitting down at her dressing table and pulling the band out of her hair. "Why wouldn't I be?"

He got out of the bed to come stand behind her. "You seem pretty calm for someone who's possibly going to face a horribly painful death at the hands of extremely old and powerful vampires." He began to thread his fingers through her hair.

"Well," Selina said simply, "it's like I told Stella: I'm not going to start worrying until we have definite proof about the connection between me and Andria."

"Yeah," Damon said, grabbing a brush, "but from what you told Elena, it would seem like you've already resigned yourself to the idea."

Selina sighed and watched their reflections in the mirror. "What is it about my hair that fascinates you so much?" she asked, deliberately changing the subject.

Damon let her hair go for a moment and went to grab a stool from the bathroom. He placed it beside her and resumed playing with her hair. "I remember the exact moment I realized I was in love with you," he said.

"Does it have to do with my hair?" Selina asked.

"Yes," he told her. _"It was when you were thirteen. Father and Stefan had gone out so it was just you and me in the house. It was a nice day so I thought I would read on the porch and get a little sun in the process, but when I went into the library to get a book, I saw something I'd never seen before: you were in there, spread out on one of the sofas reading a book. Hawthrone I think, Rappacini's Daughter. That wasn't the remarkable thing, of course. You were always a reader, much more than Father thought you should be. The remarkable thing was, that even though it was early afternoon, you'd taken your hair down. Since it was long, it looked like a sheet of black velvet flowing over the sofa cushions. And when I cleared my throat to get your attention, you looked up at me and asked me if there was something you could do for me. When I point out that it was early afternoon and your hair was down, you just nodded and said-"_

"I said, 'I'm not outside, so I don't see why I should have to pander to those biddies who think loose hair during the day is uncouth. My hair is my business, not any of theirs. I will put it up when I get the urge to go outside, but not before then'." Selina smiled and nodded. "I remember that day. I was an incredibly cheeky teenager, wasn't I?"

He nodded. "Yes, you were. But for some reason, I found it immensely attractive."

She smiled, indicating the brush he held in his other hand. "If you wouldn't mind giving my hair a thorough runthrough with that, I think I'll be ready to turn in afterwards. Even though it's early, we should probably be good and rested for when Stella and her husband show up tomorrow."

"No doubt," Damon said as he ran through her hair with the brush. "I bet they're thinking along the same lines as well."

* * *

"Do you think you're mentally prepared to go?" Stella asked her husband the next morning. "Because after yesterday, I'm a little concerned for you."

"I don't know why that needs to be," her husband said. "I'm perfectly fine."

Stella eyed him critically. "And how many glasses of wine have you had this morning?" She asked. "Are you trying to get yourself good and drunk before we leave so that no one will ask you to make conversation?"

"Of course not," her husband shook his head. "I've only had three glasses, and it would take much more than that to bring me over the edge. This is just to build myself up, that's all."

"You _do_ hold your liquor incredibly well," Stella admitted. "But I don't want you to have anymore, just in case." She snatched the wine bottle away from him and he let out a yelp of protest. "This bottle's half empty," she said, holding it up and shaking it. "I thought you said you only had three glasses."

"I did," he nodded. "But they were _big_ glasses."

"No more," Stella said severly.

"Do you think you'll be able to reach the cabinet to put it back, or shall I get you a chair?" He asked.

Stella turned around and frowned at him. "Oh, shut up," she said. He just shrugged and grinned, taking the bottle away from her and putting it back in the cabinet. As soon as the cabinent was closed, he turned back to her and she motioned to the kitchen table. "Have a seat," she said.

"Why?" He asked. "Have I done something wrong? Is this a lecture?"

"No," Stella said. "Of course not. I just thought that I should fill you in on a few things before we leave."

"Like what?" Her husband asked as he sat down.

"Well, about Elena for starters," Stella said. "Selina was correct when she said that Elena was much nicer than Katerina, in fact she and Selina are extremely close. I believe Selina told me that Elena was the first friend she'd had in 145 years. And Stefan's dating her, so she can't be all bad."

"Or she could be terrible and Junior Two could be a sucker," her husband muttered under his breath.

"What would make you say that?" Stella asked.

"Well, let's ponder my brother's dating choices, shall we?" he asked. "There was Katerina Petrova, your cousin Kristina, and your sister Ella."

"I admit the first two weren't walks in the park, but what's wrong with Ella?" Stella asked

"Nothing," her husband said. "She's the only halfway decent person he's ever been interested in."

"And you thnk that Junior Two has the same overly syrupy approach to relationships that your brother does," Stella said flatly.

"Of course he does," her husband said immediately. "Doesn't he?"

"No," Stella shook her head. "He doesn't. He's actually quite practical in every way, not much of a risk taker, but I don't worry about him the same way I worry about your brother. He fed off only animals for the longest time, but it wasn't out of a skewed sense of duty or because he felt like he had something to make up for." She paused. "Actually, that's exactly the case. He didn't have much control over himself in the beginning, and that led to the deaths of quite a few people, which filled him with shame and made him become a vegetarian. But don't ask him about any of that though. Lina says it's best we keep it quiet."

"Are you serious?" Her husband asked.

"Yes," Stella nodded. "If you don't think of him as being a carbon copy of your brother, which he isn't, you might like him quite a bit."

"And Elena?" Her husband asked cautiously.

"Elena's fine," Stella said. "If there was something to worry about, don't you think I'd tell you? In fact, she's even starting to get Stefan able to tolerate human blood again. Now let's go before you lose your nerve completely."

* * *

Selina knocked on Stefan's door. "Are you up?" She called. "Stella and her husband are going to be here soon."

"Of course I'm up," he said, coming up behind her and making her jump. "It's after eleven. Why would I still be asleep?"

"I don't know," Selina shrugged. "You weren't downstairs. I didn't know _where_ you were." She looked him over. He was wearing a gray suit and a red and navy blue striped tie. "Is that what you're wearing to meet Stella and her husband?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down at himself. "These are my relatives and I want to look nice."

"Go and change," Selina said immediately.

"Why?" Stefan asked. "What's wrong with what I have on?"

"If you stand in front of Stella's husband wearing a suit, it'll confirm his worst suspicions about you," Selina said patiently. "He'll realize that you're practical, studious and sensible."

"What's wrong with that?" Stefan asked.

"Well," Selina said, "that's what his brother's like, and he hates his brother, remember? You want him to _like _you. Would you like me to help you pick something out?"

"No," Stefan shook his head. "I think I have it under control." He came back a few minutes later in a neat pair of jeans and a navy blue polo. "How's this? Better?"

Selina looked at him for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "I think so. It's still you, but it looks more relaxed."

"What about me?" Elena appeared the next moment in jean capris and a pink, short-sleeved peasant top. "Does this look non-threatening?"

Selina nodded. "Yes it does. You look quite cheerful. And Stella promised she'd assure her husband of the wonderfulness of your character, so I think you'll have nothing to worry about."

They went downstairs where Damon stood waiting. "How long do we have?" He asked.

Selina looked at the clock on the wall. "It's noon; we've got an hour."

"Why don't you get the box from under your bed?" Damon asked Selina.

"That's right," Selina said, scampering away and heading back upstairs.

"What box?" Elena asked.

"The memory box that her dad and her uncle made up for her before her dad went off to war," Damon said. "the other reason that Stella and her husband are coming is so that we can figure out how exactly Selina is their daughter Andria's doppleganger."

"And it would stand to reason," Selina said as she came back with the box and placed it on the kitchen table, "that Andria is part of my father's family somehow. She can't be a Lockwood; they have enough problems as it is, so being part of my father's family is the only thing that makes sense."

After that, they all sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the box until Damon went and got a deck of cards. They were on their fourth game of poker when they heard the knock at the front door. "That's them," Selina said, putting down her cards and standing up. "Would you like me to go get the door?"

"Sure," Damon said absently, staring at the cards he held. "Do whatever you want."

Without another word, Selina ran to the door, opening it and saying grandly, "Welcome to our home. Come on in!"

Stella came in first and her husband followed. "This is a lot better than I thought it would be," he said. "But certainly not what I was expecting."

"This isn't where we've lived all the time," Selina reassured him quickly. "The original estate got burned down awhile back. It was something you'd like. My father-in-law was very proud of it."

"Do you miss it?" Stella asked as she took off her coat and hung it on the coat tree next to the door.

"Not really," Selina shook her head. "This place is so much more relaxed."

"Have you been back since it burned down?" Stella asked.

"Well," Selina said as she led the other two to the kitchen, "considering that the last time I was there my father in law tried to kill me because he found out I was a vampire, I really have had no desire to go back."

"That seems reasonable," Stella nodded. They entered the kitchen. "Look who I found at the door," Selina said to Stefan and Damon. They put their cards down and looked up. "Hello," Damon said, standing up first. "What do you think of the place?"

"It seems comfortable," Stella's husband said.

"This is my brother," Damon said as Stefan stood up. "Hello," Stefan said. They shook hands and then Stella's husband began circling him. "You know," he said finally, "you aren't quite what I was expecting."

"Really?" Stefan was watching him nervously.

"Actually, he is," Selina broke in. "He was wearing a suit when I first saw him this morning, but then I made him change his outfit."

Stella's husband looked at her and smiled. "That was a wise idea. Now that I've met everyone, where's that box you were talking about, Lina? That had your father's things in it?"

"It's on the table," Selina indicated the box. "But what about Elena? Don't you want to meet her?" Selina paused. "Where _is_ Elena?" she asked.

"She went to the bathroom a minute ago. She should be back soon," Stefan said.

Right at that moment, Elena appeared. "Have they come yet, Selina?" She asked. Selina motioned in their direction and Elena looked up at Stella's husband. "Hello," she said, trying her best to sound non-threatening. "I'm Elena Gilbert. I don't think we've met."

Stella's husband froze at the sight of her. "Hello, Elena," Stella said. "It's nice to see you again. She gave her husband a sharp jab in the side and he started. "Hello,' he finally managed to get out, and then collapsed in the chair that Stefan had vacated. "Is he okay?" Selina asked Stella. "Should we get him anything?"

"A glass of red wine should get him back to his old self in no time," Stella said reassuringly, her hands on her husband's shoulders. "Then it might be best if we get going."

"Where are you going?" Elena asked.

"I think I told you before," Selina said. "The four of us are going to Uncle Andrew's namsake museum in Charleston to check out his records and see how exactly I'm related to Andria."

"What do you want us to do?" Elena asked. "Anything?"

"You two look through the box," Selina said. "And if you run across anything that makes mention of Andria Salvatore, take it out and put it somewhere safe so we can look at it when we get back."

"We can do that," Elena said as Damon returned with the glass of red wine and Stella's husband downed it in one gulp and then breathed in sharply. "Are you all right?" Stella asked. He looked up at her and nodded. "I'll be fine," he said. Then, he looked at Elena. "I'm sorry, my dear," he said. "I'm usually much better, but as you've probably heard, so many things have happened to me over the years, and most of the bad ones have been caused by a certain woman who resembles you."

"I know," Elena nodded sympathetically. "There isn't a person in this room who Katherine hasn't screwed over in some way, so it isn't like you're alone." She held out her hand and after a moment, he took it.

"Well, that's lovely," Stella said as she watched them. "Should we get going now?"

"Sure," Selina said, standing up. "Let's go." And with a quick goodbye to Stefan and Elena, they headed out the door. When they reached Stella's car, they encountered a problem: "Who's going to drive us?" Selina asked. "Maybe I should, since I know where we're going and everything."

"I don't think so," Stella said, sliding into the front seat. "This is my car, so I'm driving. You and Junior sit together in the back."

"Won't my giving you directions from the backseat be awkward?" Selina questioned.

"And you told me that since you drove on the way here, I could drive anywhere else," her husband protested.

"Three words for you," Stella said easily. "It's. My. Car. If you had a bigger one, we could all fit in that, but you don't, so we had to take mine and that means I get to drive."

"You know, I find your little power trips irritating," her husband said bitingly as he sat down next to her, and Selina took her seat in the back beside Damon.

"I'm aware of that," Stella said. "But I really don't want to argue about this now."

"Why not?" Selina asked. "Is it because you don't want to scar 'the children' in the backseat?"

"No," Stella said, allowing herself a little grin. "It's because we have to spend so much time in the car together and I don't want it all to be us fighting."

"That's reasonable, I guess." Selina sat back in her seat. "So, do you want to know where we're going?"

"We can't move if I don't know where to move to," Stella said.

"It's called the Andrew Walter Warren Memorial Museum. It's not actually in Charleston, but in a place called Connersville that's just outside it," Selina said.

"They really got creative with the name, didn't they?" Stella's husband remarked dryly.

"The kids call it 'the A.W.' for short," Selina said.

"A _museum_ is considered a hangout?" Stella asked in surprise. "Does this town lack malls or something?"

"Well," Selina shrugged. "It's kind of small. All the stores are Mom and Pop operations."

* * *

When they'd been on the road for a little while, Selina's phone beeped. She flipped it open and saw the message. It was from Kevin. _Missed you at school today. R U okay?_ Selina read it over then quickly snapped her phone shut.

"Who was that?" Damon asked next to her.

"No one," Selina said quickly.

"Can I see the message?" he asked.

"No," Selina said. "It's my business and I should be able to live my life without having to show you everything!" she hugged the phone tightly to her chest and averted her eyes.

"Why are you acting so defensive?" Damon asked. "If it was nothing, it would be okay for me to see it. Is it something bad?"

"No," Selina said. "Just a message from Tommy. He's concerned about me and wants to know if anything's wrong."

Damon frowned. "Wasn't he the Union soldier you married after you told him I was dead?

"Yes," Selina said. "You know that!"

"Why is he texting you?" Damon asked. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"No," Selina said incredulously. "I can't believe that you'd even bring that up. Keep this up and I swear to God something _will_ be going on, and you'll only have yourself to blame!"

"Kids," Stella said sharply from the front seat, "do I need to separate you two?"

"Please," Selina said. "Pull over and I'll come sit next you. Anything to get away from his ridiculousness."

Stella pulled her car onto the shoulder, and she and Damon switched positions so that Selina was up front with Stella and the two Damons were in the back.

"And by the way," Selina said, turning to face her husband in the backseat. "If you're thinking of killing him, don't bother. He had an encounter with a gypsy before he left to fight, she did some magic on him, and now the only way he can die is by his own hand."

"Selina," Stella said, "eyes to the front, please."

"Sorry," Selina said, turning around.

The rest of the way to the museum, nobody talked. When they reached it, they parked and got out quickly, Selina leading them inside. They ended up in front of a young woman with short blond hair and blue eyes. When she saw Selina, her eyes lit up. "Hello, Miss Warren," she said brightly. "Did you come for another look at your uncle's things?"

Selina nodded. "Thanks, Trish. I'll need to get into the archive today if it's not too much trouble.

"Of course," Trish said. She glanced at the rest of the group. "Will they be coming with you?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "All of us will be going in."

With that, Trish grabbed her keys and led them into a back room, far away from the exhibits and people visiting. "In here are the things that are too delicate or valuable to be put on display," she said, motioning to the shelves full of dusty volumes and boxes of crumbling papers. "But if you put gloves on, you can look at anything you want as long as you're careful."

They all donned the gloves and Trish left them, shutting the door behind her with a click.

"All right," Stella said, looking around. "Where should we start?"

"How about you and I take the papers, and the boys can look through the diaries?" Selina asked.

And that's what they did, finding nothing significant until everything was pretty much looked over. Selina was deeply involved in a stack of papers from a box labeled _The Warren Family in Europe_. "This box was exactly what we were looking for," Stella said dryly. "It _would _have to be on the bottom."

"That's always the way," Selina agreed. "But have a look at this piece of paper." She held it up and the four of them could just make out the writing on the yellowing, crumbling paper. "It's the Warren family tree," Selina said breathlessly. "And it goes back a really long way." She ran her finger down several lines and gasped. "Oh, God! Stella, there you and Damon are, and there's Andria!" She put the paper down.

"That means it's all true," Stella said. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Now I think _I'm _the one who needs the drink," Selina said. "I'm doomed."

"You aren't doomed," her husband said. "We'll work this out, I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."


	11. Wanted Dead or Alive

"You'll never guess what we found out about Andria," Elena said as Selina and Damon walked in the door. Her head was against his shoulder and there was a damp spot where she had been crying.

"Let me guess," Elena said, putting the papers down. "The Warrens are descended from Andria and her husband for sure."

"Yeah," Damon nodded.

Selina lifted her head and then turned around to face Elena. "I figured it would be true," she said. "That wasn't the part I was scared of. But what's going to happen to me now?"

Stefan guided her into a chair. "Do you want some tea or something?" he asked her. "I'll make you some."

"Do we have hot chocolate?" Selina sniffled. Stefan nodded and grabbed a cup from the cabinet and went to turn on the sink.

"I told you before that it would be okay," Damon said. "And I meant it. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."

"How do you know?" Selina asked.

Damon put his arms around her. "Let's think about this," he said. "If you were marked for death, they probably would have come after you a lot sooner. Did you think that they would be ignorant of you until you found out the truth and then they would magically become aware once you found out you were related to Andria? If they were smart, they would have attacked _before_ you figured anything out that would give you the opportunity to get away."

"Exactly," Elena sat on her other side. "And since we haven't seen any, they probably aren't even aware of the connection between you and Andria. And even if they were, it's Katherine and/or me that they're planning on using to end the curse. You were just an extra."

"That makes me feel really good," Selina said sarcastically, standing up. "If I'm just an extra and the Originals always planned to go after Katherine's line, it means that Andria was attacked for no reason."

"Here," Stefan said, handing her the cup. Selina wrapped her hands around it and inhaled. "Thanks," she said. "I really need this." She blew on it and took a hesitant sip. After swallowing, she looked at Damon. "So what are we going to do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what we _can_ do. I mean, it's not like you've been attacked or anything like that."

"So are you suggesting that we wait?" Selina asked. "Wait until the Originals or their goonies swoop down on the front step and snatch me screaming into their black SUV with tinted windows? I don't believe you. I thought you'd be a quicker thinker than that. We always have to be two steps ahead." She put her cup down and went to the coat rack by the door and grabbed her jacket, putting it on and then growling in frustration when her overly thick sweater got stuck in the narrow sleeve.

"Do you need some help?" Elena asked, coming over to help Selina straighten her coat. "Are you planning on going somewhere?" she asked when Selina was all straightened out. "Can I drive you? You seem a little too worked up to be driving."

"Good idea, Elena," Damon said. "We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened when you left Stella's."

Selina zipped up her coat and eyed Elena balefully. "I was planning on going by Tyler's," she said. "And I'm not worked up. You don't have to take me. I promise I won't crash into anything."

"Do you really promise?" Elena asked. "Or are you just saying that so I'll go away and leave you alone?"

"I _promise_ not to crash into anything," Selina repeated. "I just want to tell him what's going on."

"Then you'll come right back?" Damon asked.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "Why not?"

They watched reluctantly as she left the house and got into her car, the revving of the engine indicating that she was driving away.

"I really hope she's going to be all right," Stefan said after they were sure she was gone.

"I'm sure she will be," Elena assured him. "This is just something that we need to get her through. Maybe she should come and stay with me tonight. I'll invite Bonnie and Caroline over and we'll just have fun. It might keep Selina's mind off things, at leasy for a little while."

"That's not a bad idea," Stefan said. "What time do you think you'll be ready to come by and get her?"

Before Elena could speak, Damon broke in. "That _would_ be a good idea," he said. "If Selina liked Bonnie and Caroline."

"Oh," Elena said. "You mean because Bonnie's ancestor gave her the illness that led to her death, and Caroline's ancestor was nothing but a pain the butt?"

"Exactly," Damon said. "I just don't see any situation where Bonnie, Selina and Caroline are put in the same room ending well."

"Well Bonnie and Caroline are _not _Emily and Louisa, and I'll help her see that," Elena said resolutely. "Drop her off at seven this evening and she'll be as good as new tomorrow."

* * *

Selina pulled up to the front of the Lockwood mansion, parked her car, and strode to the front door, knocking three times. After a moment, the door opened. "Hello," said the person on the other side. It took a moment for Selina to fully appreciate what she was seeing. "Caroline?" she said in disbelief. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Who is it?" Tyler asked Caroline, coming to stand behind her. "Has the pizza guy come yet?"

"No," Caroline turned. "It's Selina. Should I let her come in?"

"What do you mean 'should I let her come in?' No one _lets_ me come in here. I used to live here for God's sake!" Selina snapped, elbowing a stunned Caroline aside and stepping into the front entryway.

"So," Tyler said sheepishly, gazing at Selina's angry face. "How are you, Selina?"

She stepped up to him until they were practically nose to nose. "What's Caroline doing here?"

"I'll tell you," he said. "If you'll just back off a minute."

Rolling her eyes, Selina stepped back. "Start talking," she said.

Instead, Tyler took her hand and led her to a little anteroom done in black and white off the kitchen. Caroline followed and they all took a seat. "It happened after Mason bit you," Tyler explained.

"I got really hammered one night and got into a car accident. In the hospital, Bonnie ran into Damon and asked him to give me his blood to stop me from dying. He did, but while it was still in my system, Katherine came into my room and smothered me with a pillow, killing me," Caroline added.

"Wait," Selina held up her hand. "So you're a vampire now? And Damon aided in your transformation?"

"Yeah," Caroline nodded.

"So when did the two of you happen?" Selina eyed them. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Tyler leaned forward. "That also happened when you were with Mason," he said. "I was going through a transformation, and Caroline helped me get through it."

"And you _were_ aware that he could have killed you?" Selina asked Caroline. "While he was in wolf form, I mean. Werewolf bites kill vampires, you know."

"Yeah," Caroline said after a moment. "Damon told me." She paused. "Look, I know we haven't always gotten along, but could we call a truce? I mean, we both got screwed over by Katherine, and it had a major effect on our lives. We can at least admit that, can't we?" She held out her hand and waited.

Selina looked at her hand for a moment, and then shook it. "You're a big improvement on Louisa," she said finally. "Thank you for what you did."

"You're welcome," Caroline's head inclined slightly, and Selina smiled. "What?" Caroline asked. "Why are you smiling?"

"It's nothing," Selina said, trying to make her expression more severe. "I just think it's interesting that you and Tyler are going out, that's all."

"Why?" Caroline asked. "Is it because I'm a vampire and he's a werewolf?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's just that you frequently find yourself in the relationships, be they bad or good, with men who have some connection to me."

"I get it," Caroline said after a moment. "First, I get roped into a twisted relationship with your husband so that he can get Bonnie's magical necklace and free Katherine from the tomb. And now I'm dating Tyler and he's your distant cousin."

Tyler and Selina looked at one another. "Do you think we should tell her?" Tyler asked.

"I think we should," Selina agreed. She turned her attention back to Caroline. "You missed a relationship," she said, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "There's one more man connected with me that you've gone out with."

"Who?" Caroline asked. "Are you and Matt related somehow?"

"No," Selina shook her head and shifted in her chair. "Think older guy, supposedly in college. Your date for the fifties decade dance?"

"Mitch Wilder?" Caroline's eyes widened. "Is he a distant cousin of yours too?"

"No," Tyler shook his head. "He was her father."

"Your _father?_" Caroline snorted. "How can he be your father? The guy was only twenty-two!"

"He was twenty-two in 1846," Selina corrected. "That was the year I was born and the year he left to wrestle Texas away from the Mexicans. He got sick with typhoid fever and at the hospital, he was turned into a vampire by one of the nurses who had a crush on him."

"Mitch was a _vampire?_" Caroline said.

"Yep," Selina nodded. "Good thing the two of you didn't start dating and marry, otherwise I would have had to call you 'mom' and I don't think either of us would have liked that."

"And speaking of moms," Tyler said, "Miss Underwood, the substitute English teacher? That was Selina's mother."

"Let me guess," Caroline said flatly. "She was a vampire, too."

"Yep," Selina nodded. "Daddy changed her after the Great Purge. Then they killed some homeless woman and buried her up in the hills so her family wouldn't suspect that she'd run off with a vampire. That was the body we buried at the interment ceremony."

"So I dated your father?" Caroline said.

"Uh-huh," Selina said. "You dated him and Tyler killed him."

"He did _what_?" Caroline asked, looking horrified.

"Tyler killed my father," Selina repeated.

"It's not one of my prouder moments," Tyler said quickly. "It was either him or Michael."

Just then, Caroline's phone rang. She picked opened it up and put it to her ear. "Hello? Yeah, Selina's still here. Sure, what time? Should I tell her about it, or do you want it to be a surprise?" Caroline smiled. "All right," she said after a moment. "Goodbye, Elena."

"What was that?" Selina asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Caroline told her. "Elena just wants to have you over for a little girl time, that's all."

"It can't be all," Selina's eyes narrowed. "If that's all, then why is she being so secretive?"

Caroline shrugged, grinning.

"All right," Selina stood up and put her hands on her knees. "Since it doesn't seem like I'm going to get anywhere else, I think I'm going to go, and the two of you can continue whatever it was you were doing before I showed up."

"All right," Tyler said. "Don't be a stranger."

Caroline didn't say goodbye, but she still had that sly expression on her face. Selina was desperate to find out what was behind it. She finally managed to tear her gaze away from Caroline and head out the front door. "Goodbye," she said before she shut the front door behind her.

* * *

Once Selina was back in her car, she pondered what to do. She knew she'd promised Damon that she would go right back to the boardinghouse after finishing up at Tyler's, but she just didn't feel like it. After pondering for a moment about where to go, she had it. She drove for a little while, then suddenly found herself parked in front of her _other_ husband's house. She parked her car and went up the front walk. She knocked on the door, but to her surprise, it was unlocked. She gently pushed the door open and stepped inside, walking down the hall toward the darkened library. "Tommy?" she called nervously. "Are you here?" She placed her hand on the library doorframe and peeked inside. Squinting into the darkness, she gasped as an old leather chair on the other side of a small writing desk facing away from the door began to turn. Just as a scream was about to escape from her throat, she realized that Tommy was sitting there. He turned on the desk light and hurried toward her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, putting his arms around her. "Don't be scared; it's only me."

Selina was breathing heavily. "I know," she said finally. "It's just that this place is a little creepy in the dark. Why don't you put some lights on?"

"I can't," Tommy said matter-of-factly. "This house doesn't have much electricity."

"You could still turn on a kerosene lamp or two," Selina said. "I bet there are some of those around."

"Fire hazard," Tommy said. "Some of the wood used to build this house is really old and very easily flammable."

"So you just sit around in the dark?" Selina pushed herself away from him and began to stroll around the library, finally taking a seat in a leather wing chair and draping her legs over one of the armrests.

He shrugged, coming to stand beside her. "The dark's not so bad. It's not like I haven't lived in the dark every night for the last 148 years."

"Now see," Selina put her hands behind her head. "That's exactly why I like having lights on. Since we have to hunt by night, I don't see why you'd want to spend the rest of your time in the dark."

"Not all of us have those little rings," Tommy said. He stood up and grabbed left the library, returning a few minutes later with a flashlight, which he flicked on and placed on the small table beside Selina. "Now that you have your light," he said, "is there anything I can get you to drink or eat? I've been neglecting my duties as a host."

"Well you have some right to," Selina replied. "It's not like I called before I showed up."

He shrugged. "So what can I get you?"

She shook her head. "I'm good, thanks. I'll tell you if I think of something later on." She moved her legs so that she was sitting straight up in the chair, stood up, grabbed the flashlight and placed it on another one of the little wooden tables around the library. Then, she moved the chair from under the table and replaced it with a stool. Sitting down on the stool, she groaned and began rubbing her neck. "I don't know why I'm so tense all of a sudden," she said.

Tommy came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "You _do_ seem a little tight," he observed, beginning to massage her shoulders. "Has anything bad happened to you recently?"

"I got some bad news earlier today," she admitted. "The vampire who turned my husband and my brother in law is several hundreds of years older than us. Apparently, back before _she_ turned, she found out that her bloodline has the potential to end the curse of being a vampire, which made her a target of a group of vampires called the Originals. They're supposedly the oldest and most powerful vamps in existence, but no one really knows how powerful they are. To save herself from being killed, this girl, after her transformation into a vampire, was told that if she found another girl and brought her to a magician, he could do a spell that would cause this other girl's family to produce dopplegangers as well so that the Originals would leave Katerina's (that was her name back then) family alone and go after the other doppelganger instead."

"And are you the other doppelganger?" Tommy asked. "Is that the bad news?"

"Apparently," Selina nodded. "Or I'm just an extra and the Originals won't come after me at all so my ancestor was kidnapped and tortured for no reason."

Tommy stopped rubbing her shoulders and took her hand. "So do you want to be the one that the Originals sacrifice or not?"

Selina leaned forward. "Of course I don't. But if it gives worth to the suffering my ancestress went through, that would be good enough."

"Has it occurred to you," said Tommy slowly, "that there might be people who wouldn't want you to die because they'd be miserable and lonely without you?"

Selina gave him a small smile. "You were miserable and lonely without me?"

"Of course," he said, kissing her hand. "You don't marry somebody and spend ten years with them if you don't at least like them a little."

"Well then why did you leave?" Selina asked. "Was it solely because you thought I wouldn't handle your immortality well, or was there another reason?"

"No," he said, "that was the only reason." But as he said it, he refused to meet her gaze. "Think about what I'm saying please," he pleaded. "Don't throw yourself in harm's way if it's not necessary. I'm sure your ancestress wouldn't want you to suffer for her sake."

"Well her mother certainly wouldn't," Selina said under her breath.

"So will you stay alive for me?" he asked. Selina thought a moment. "All right," she said finally. "But that means I'm going to have to leave my husband. If I stay with him or his brother, who happens to be dating the _other_ doppelganger, the Originals could track me down in a second." She paused. "Could I stay here with you?"

"Sure," he said. "Whatever you need."

"Thanks," she said. "Just let me run to the boardinghouse and get my stuff and I'll be back in a little while."

* * *

As soon as she was gone, Tommy's phone rang. "Hello?" he said. He listened to the voice at the other end for a little while before he was finally able to come up with a response. "Yes," he said. "I finally got her to stay. It was more difficult than you might think. She was actually very insistent about being handed over to Klaus so that the pain and misery Andria Salvatore went through wouldn't be for nothing. Yes, I know Stella would never forgive you if Selina was the one who was sacrificed. All, right Elijah, slow down, I don't understand a word you're saying." He paused. "Of course I'm going to protect Selina with my life!" He groaned. "How many times do I have to say it before you believe me? Yes, I realize leaving her the first time wasn't the best idea, but I'm doing my best to make up for it. Are you going to try to see Stella tomorrow to find out about Katerina's whereabouts? All right, I'll be waiting for your call. Goodbye."


	12. Sunny Came Home

"And just where have you been?" Damon was standing on the porch with his arms crossed. He frowned as she slammed her car door shut and came toward the house. "You promised you'd come back right after you were done at Tyler's."

Selina looked up at him, nonplussed. "I was just visiting an old friend," she said nonchalantly. "He's not going to be in town very long, so I thought I'd stay with him tonight. I just came back to get my things and then I'm going to leave again."

"Oh?" Damon's voice ended on a rising note as he followed her into the house. "Do I know this friend? Perhaps I should come too, just to say hello."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I really don't think you should. The two of you _really_ wouldn't get along."

"Oh, but I think we would." Damon put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. "I bet we have something in common that would give us loads to talk about. He can tell me what it was like when the two of you were married, and and then I can remind him that I saw you first, so he should stay the hell away from you."

Selina froze, then turned around. "You know who you sound like?" she asked him. "You sound like Michael when he lectured me _at length _about the many reasons why I shouldn't marry you. So I was with a guy you don't like, and now you're upset. But you really have no right to be. I remember there was a night right after Katherine first arrived in Mystic Falls where the two of you met up at bar and then she lured you to where she was staying and the two of you ended up having sex. You cheated on me. _Again_. But I didn't give you half as much trouble about that as you're giving me about Tommy now."

He smirked. "That was because you had no idea what was going on."

Selina scoffed. "I did so!" she cried. "Believe me, when I ask you if you want to shower with me and you say no, I immediately assume that there's something horribly wrong with you."

"Way to hit below the belt, Selina," Stefan said to her as he walked into the kitchen.

Damon frowned. "Who's side are you on, anyway?" he asked.

Stefan shrugged. "I'm not on anyone's side. I'm just watching. A fight between the two of you is practically a spectator sport."

"She started it," Damon said immediately. "She promised me that she would come back right after she went to Tyler's to tell him what was going on and she lied and went to that other guy's house instead."

Selina put her hands on her hips. "And speaking of lying, or rather, witholding pertinent information, when were you planning on telling me about Caroline?"

"What about Caroline?" Stefan asked.

"Well," Selina turned to face him. "When I went to Tyler's, Caroline was there too. She told me a very interesting story about how sometime during the three weeks I was imprisoned on Mason's orders, she got into a car crash. While she was in the hospital, Damon gave her his blood. Then, Katherine killed her, which led to her transformation into a vampire. Did she stay here, too?"

"In the beginning we thought it might be the best thing," Stefan admitted. "We figured since you were gone, she could use your room and then we'd be able to monitor her more easily."

"Why did you give Caroline your blood?" Selina turned back to Damon.

He sighed. "Bonnie asked me to and I didn't see why I shouldn't."

"Don't see why you _should have_ either. You don't owe that witch anything," Selina spat out. "I'm going to get my things." She began to walk in the direction of her room when Elena came through the front door. "Oh, good," she said brightly. "You're here. I was just thinking that you deserve a little fun after all the worry this business with the Originals has caused you."

Selina frowned. "If this involves you putting me in a room with Caroline and Bonnie and you expecting the four of us to have a good time, don't bet on it. Besides, I have somewhere else I'd much rather be."

Elena opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, she said "I know you have issues with Caroline and Bonnie because their ancestors did you wrong, but Bonnie and Caroline are two entirely different people. Besides, I went to the bakery and bought a box of those cupcakes you like, and if you don't come, you'll miss out."

Selina's look of reproach slowly lightened. "You're very tricky," she said. "I hate to admit it, but sometimes, you know how to get the best of me."

Elena brightened. "So you'll come?"

Selina gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, I'll come. And you'll be pleased to know that I ran into Caroline when I was over at Tyler's, and after talking stuff through, she and I agreed to a truce."

"So now it's only Bonnie she hates," Damon put in."

"You hate Bonnie?" Elena asked. "Why would you hate Bonnie? She hasn't wronged you ever. I mean, I know Emily cast some spells that have inconvenienced you over the years, but that shouldn't impact how you feel about Bonnie."

Selina frowned again. "If you want me to come with you, don't tell me how to feel about Bonnie, or any other Bennett witch."

Elena swallowed. "Let's just go, all right? They're probably wondering what's keeping us."

Without another word, they left the house. Once they were gone, Damon looked at Stefan. "I told you," he said. "I knew that sticking Bonnie, Caroline and Selina in the same room was a bad idea."

* * *

Elena and Selina drove to the Gilbert house without speaking. The air in the car was full of tension. At Elena's knock, it was Caroline who answered the door. "Hi!" she said brightly as Selina and Elena stepped inside. "Are you surprised, Selina?"

"Sure," Selina said emptily. "Why not?"

"Get the cupcakes, Caroline. If you don't, it'll be a long night," Elena instructed. Caroline found the cupcakes and handed Selina the container. Selina went and sat down on the living room sofa, opening the box and unwrapping her first cupcake.

"What's wrong with Selina?" Caroline whispered. "Is she okay?"

"How much do you know about her past?" Elena asked.

Caroline shook her head. "Not much. Just that Aunt Louisa didn't think much of her."

Elena nodded. "Well," she said, "Selina's never really felt all that comfortable around Bonnie because her ancestress Emily was the one that cast the spell to make Selina sick with scarlet fever, which was the event that led to Selina's transformation to vampire, courtesy of Dr. Stensrund."

"That sounds like 'The Lady in Red,' Caroline said. "Or at least part of it, anyway."

Elena nodded. "And Damon was the soldier she abandoned when she supposedly fell in love with Dr. Stensrund."

"Hmm," Caroline paused. "You know, I've always wondered why there were two versions of the story."

Elena shrugged. "It's a story. People can make up as many versions as they like. It's probably nothing more than that." Just then, the doorbell rang again, and Bonnie entered the house. "Word of warning," Caroline whispered. "Selina's angry, so don't take the cupcakes from her, whatever you do."

Elena peeked into the living room. Selina had the box of cupcakes next to her on the couch. There were only three left, and her discarded wrappers were all over the floor. She wiped the crumbs off her face and reached for another one. "You'd better run out and get some more," Elena said to Caroline. "I'd go, but I think it might be best if I stayed here and did damage control. When Selina sees Bonnie, hell will break loose."

At the sound of Elena's voice, Selina looked up, her mouth full of cupcake. Her eyes met Bonnie's, she swallowed, and for a moment, Bonnie tensed. Then, Selina grabbed another cupcake and stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. Bonnie relaxed a little and followed Elena into the living room, where she took a seat on the side of the room farthest from Selina.

"You sure like those cupcakes," Bonnie observed.

"I do," Selina agreed. "But I keep eating them so I won't end up saying something I might regret later."

The three of them lapsed into silence for a little while, until Elena looked at Bonnie and said "In math yesterday, Joshua Lawrence asked Caroline for your phone number. She wanted to tell you, so when she gets back, act like I didn't. Are you going to call him?"

"Of course," Bonnie said. "Who wouldn't want to call Joshua Lawrence? He's captain of the swim team, so he looks awesome in any sort of swimming attire, and he's got the prettiest blue eyes…" Elena cut her off. She had been watching Selina, who had twitched every time they had mentioned the name Joshua.

"Selina?" she asked gently. "Is something the matter?"

Selina grabbed the last cupcake and shoved it into her mouth. Elena sighed, grabbed the remote and turned on the televison, flipping through the channels without actually stopping to see what was on. When she finally _did _pick a channel, something horrific happened. The first thing they saw on the television was a commercial for a TV movie called _A Son Lost: The Shirley Andrews Story_. It concerned a mother's quest to find her son after he was given away at birth by an unscrupulous doctor because her husband hadn't wanted him in the first place. After the commercial ended, a dark look came over Selina's face. Slowly, she turned her head toward Bonnie. "You," she breathed. "You're related to _her_. The woman who ruined my life in so many ways. You must be so proud."

Bonnie held her ground. "Look, I understand that what Emily did to you was wrong, but that was years ago and I'm not her."

"Oh," Selina stood up. Her lips curved into a demented grin and she stood up and began to advance toward Bonnie, occasionally emitting a squeaky giggle. "This isn't about me anymore," she said. "When Emily made up her little batch of scarlet fever, I wasn't her only victim. She hurt someone else, too."

"What?" Bonnie's eyes widened. "Who else was there? I'm sure Emily didn't mean it."

"Even if she didn't, when a person endangers a life, someone else must make up for that. And you, Bonnie, will be paying for Emily's crime." And before Bonnie could even get up the breath to scream, Selina sank her fangs into Bonnie's throat. Bonnie immediatley began to thrash and flail, but Selina's grip was so tight that she had no chance whatever of freeing herself. Elena tried to free Bonnie, but Selina just grabbed her arm with her free hand and shook Elena hard. "Don't interfere," she growled, bringing her head up from Bonnie's throat, her blood dripping down Selina's chin. She pushed Elena away and was just about to continue on her ghastly mission when the front door opened.

"I got the cupcakes for Selina," Caroline called. "Here they are…" as she entered the living room, she stared at the scene: Elena, her face ashen and frightened. Bonnie, splayed out like a doll, her limbs at odd angles, covered with blood and barely breathing. And most horrifying of all, Selina sitting on the chair Bonnie had previously occupied, with blood dripping down her chin. Bonnie's blood.

"Caroline," Elena finally managed to croak. "Call the ambulance, now. Otherwise, Bonnie's going to die."

Caroline didn't hesitate anymore. She nodded and ran for the phone. Elena crawled over to where Bonnie lay and took her hand. All of a sudden, two tears fell on Bonnie's nose, causing her to move involuntarily. Elena looked up. Selina was crying.

"I'm sorry," she said in gasping sobs. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean it, I swear."

"What happened?" Elena asked. "Did you completely lose your mind?"

"Take me back to the boardinghouse," Selina said, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "I'll explain along the way."

Elena looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "All right," she said. "Once the ambulance gets here, then we'll go."

* * *

The ambulance came soon after. Selina stayed in the car, But Elena watched with Caroline as Bonnie was loaded onto a stretcher. As soon as it sped away, siren blaring, Elena headed to the car, opened the door, and sat heavily in the front seat. "So," Elena asked when the car started, "would you care to explain why you may have just killed my best friend?"

Selina sniffled. "You didn't figure it out from all the stuff I said before I bit her?"

"No," Elena gave a humorless laugh. "I was too busy watching you go insane to take in what you said. Or at least not all of it."

"All right," Selina wiped tears from her eyes. "You're only the second person I've told about this; Stefan was the first and I made him _swear_ not to tell Damon. I want to do that, when the time is right. The night I caught scarlet fever from the flowers, I wasn't the only victim."

"Did Katherine have Emily take the basket out and give them to somebody else?" Elena asked. "Your mother, perhaps?"

Selina shook her head. "No, not my mother. I didn't find out about the other victim until I went and saw Dr. Stensrund and Lucy."

"Until you went and saw…" Suddenly, Elena's voice trailed off as it hit her. "Were you _pregnant _when you caught scarlet fever?"

Selina nodded. "I was. I thought for sure I was going to die from it, along with the baby. But once Dr. Stensrund found out about my condition, he gave me just enough blood to make me well. Then, he insisted I stay with him until I delivered."

"But what about the story you always tell?" Elena asked. "About Dr. Stensrund turning you and you being so freaked out about it that you went to live in the woods for six months, living on nothing but bunny rabbits?"

"He turned me after the baby was born," Selina said. "Katherine's mind control didn't really take effect until after that. It was strange. One day, things were normal and we all were happy enough, and then, the next, about a month after I gave birth, I woke up to find my son missing. I asked Dr. Stensrund what happened to him. I was sick to my stomach; I thought he'd died in the night; that happened often enough. But Dr. Stensrund said my son was alive and well and that he'd taken him to be with Damon and Stefan's father, explaining that I'd died in childbirth. Then, Dr. Stensrund tried to compel me to forget I'd ever been pregnant. I acted like it worked because I thought he'd hurt me if I ever let on that I still remembered."

"Why do you think he couldn't compel you to forget?" Elena asked.

Selina sighed. "My mother said that giving birth is one of the things a woman never forgets. Some memories are just too strong. That was probably why. My son's name was Joshua, and I had him a week before Christmas, 1864."

"And when you say 'your son' you mean Damon's and yours," Elena said.

Selina nodded. "Yes. We conceived in March, the day Damon left with his unit. Ordinarily, I wouldn't have proposed something like pre-marital sex, which of course was very radical back then, but I figured that if Damon didn't come back, if we had a baby, at least I'd have a little piece of him."

Elena nodded. "So the time that you were supposedly 'in the woods' you were actually waiting out your pregnancy and Dr. Stensrund wasn't a bad guy yet. What about when you ran away from Dr. Stensrund's and ended up at Damon and Stefan's house? That was a mutual memory you had. Was it false?"

Selina nodded. "Thankfully, yes. Well, let me rephrase: my having involvement in any way with Stefan and Damon becoming vampires was false. Their father may have killed them when they had Katherine's blood in their systems for all I know. The scenes that Damon and I 'remember' were planted in our minds by Katherine and Dr. Stensrund to make us hate each other even more, including the one where I saw my mother drunk and ill and Damon tried to kill me."

"So what _really _happened when you became a vampire?" Elena asked.

"Well, Emily gave me scarlet fever, I went to the doctor, found out I was pregnant, Dr. Stensrund cured the fever with his blood, I waited out my pregnancy at his house, gave birth, got Joshua taken away, Dr. Stensrund turned me, I killed him a month later, and then three weeks after that, Tommy appeared at my doorstep and we began the relationship that led to ten blissful years of marriage before he left me so I wouldn't figure out he was immortal."

Elena nodded. "So you didn't see Damon, Stefan, or their father at any point after you were turned?"

"Stefan would stop by every once in awhile. But I saw neither Damon nor his father. And anything Stefan told you about taking me to my mother's or anything like that, that was because he made a promise not to mention my pregnancy to anyone else," Selina confirmed.

They reached the boardinghouse. When they got inside, Damon looked up from the couch. "How'd the party go?" he asked. "As badly as I predicted it would?"

"Let's not talk about it," Elena said quickly. Selina looked at Stefan. "We saw something on television that made me think of the thing," she told him.

"The thing?" he repeated. "The thing you need to tell Damon about?" Selina nodded.

"What thing?" Damon asked, standing up. "What are you two talking about?"

"Did you know you had a son?" Elena blurted out.

Damon's eyes widened. "We _what?_ When?"

"Remember the day you left with your unit?" Selina said. "We conceived that day. I gave birth just before Christmas. I never spent any time eating squirrels in the woods, your father never tried to kill me, and it was Katherine's blood you had in your system when you died. Anything else was just placed in our brains by Dr. Stensrund or Katherine to pit us against one another."

"Oh, my God," Damon collapsed onto the sofa. "Are you all right?" Selina asked.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll be fine. Are you sure about all this?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I know where he's buried. We could drive there right now."

"I know the cemetery pretty well," Elena said. "And there's no Joshua Salvatore in the Founders' section."

"There wouldn't be," Damon said dryly. "We got kicked out of the council after the Battle of Willow Creek. The town found out about us and Katherine and we paid the price."

"So," Selina said. "Do you want to see your son, or not?"

He nodded and the four of them piled into the car. They drove until they reached the crumbling ruins of what must have once been a grand estate. "Home, sweet home," Stefan told Elena. "This was our house." Selina led them around to the backyard where, tucked away in a small corner, away from everything else, there was a single grave, with the inscription:

**Joshua Damon Salvatore**

**December 18, 1864-December 15, 1939**

"**He was born with the gift of laughter, and the sense that the world was mad." **

"See?" Selina gestured at the stone. "You have a son."

"I do indeed," Damon said. "And he had a good, long life, unlike us. I wish I could have met him."

Selina nodded. "I did. He was a sweet boy. He stopped by Dr. Stensrund's house one Halloween; wanted to check out the truth of the Lady in Red story just like everyone else. I told him the absolute truth, and that was when the version where I was the innocent victim came out, around 1882. He looked more like you than me. Except that he had black hair, not brown." She sighed. "I have something I need to do. Can I take the car?"

"All right," Damon said, eyeing his son's stone wistfully before turning away. Before they left, Selina pulled several loose bricks from the posts that had held the gates. In each hole was a box of letters with the words "For Mama and Papa" on it. "Letters from Joshua for us," Selina explained. "He wrote one twice a year so we'd know what was going on in his life. I bet your father thought it was just a coping mechanism," she said, looking at Damon. Then, they got back to the boardinghouse, Selina took Damon's car and headed for Stella's.

* * *

"I need a favor," Selina said when Stella let her in. "I know that the necklace Katherine has in her possession connects the two of you in some way. Could you tell me where she is?"

Stella nodded and shut her eyes. "In one of the foreclosures near the library," she said a moment later, opening them. "It's a big green gothic number. You won't miss it."

"Thanks," Selina said. She left Stella's and went to the store, picking up matches, gasoline, and a small fan. Then, she drove to the house Stella had mentioned, bringing the matches, gasoline and fan inside and hiding it in an upstairs closet.

"Hello, Katherine," she said when she found her. Katherine looked up and smiled lazily. "It's about time," she said. "I wondered when you were going to get here."

Selina advanced into the room. "When you told Emily to make me sick, I was pregnant," she said, her voice shaking. "And when you warped Dr. Stensrund's mind so that he would turn me, my son was taken away. I never got to say goodbye. I never got to see him grow up." Her voice broke. "Part of me wishes that I was a selfish bitch like you. Then the loss wouldn't hurt so much. But it _does_ hurt, every single day."

Katherine's smile faded. "You think I don't know what it feels like to lose a child?" she said brutally. "I had one once, a little girl. But because I wasn't married, she was taken away, and my parents disowned me and sent me away. They wouldn't even let me _hold_ my baby. Did you get to hold yours?"

"You sicken me," Selina said. "You say you know what it feels like to lose a daughter, but you sacrificed your best friend's daughter to save your own life. You must feel really good."

"Leave," Katherine whispered. "Just leave." Selina moved toward the door, but grabbed a candlestick from one of the holders and whacked Katherine soundly over the head with it. Despite the fact that it wasn't wood, she fell to the floor unconscious. Then, Selina left the room, shutting the door behind her. She poured gasoline all over the house, setting it alight and making sure it spread rapidly by using the fan. Then she ran for her life. Once she was outside, she stood in horrified fascination as the flames consumed the house. Then, she got in her car and started to drive back to the boardinghouse.

Soon after, though, she began to realize she was being followed. Suddenly, she was rear-ended with such force that her head banged into the steering wheel. She blacked out. A minute later, the men in the second car let their engine idle. Two got out of the car and approached Selina's while the third stayed inside with his hands on the wheel. The men managed to force Selina's car door open and drag her out, ignoring the whining of the car alarm. Then, they put her in the back seat of the second car and one of the men sat beside her as the car began driving away. The third man took the car Selina had been driving back to the boardinghouse. They wouldn't know she was gone until it was too late.


	13. Where Are You?

Just as the driver, a recently-turned vampire named Max, started the car, his phone rang. He motioned to the guy in the seat beside him to grab the phone out of the cup holder and see who was calling. "See who it is, Jack," he ordered without moving his eyes from the road ahead. "And if it's the boss, go ahead and tell him that we got her."

Jack smirked. "As if we'd tell him anything else." He picked up the phone and flipped it open. "Hello?" He heard the voice on the other end and gave Max a look, letting him know that it was indeed their boss calling to check up on them. "Yep, we got her," he confirmed. "And it was surprisingly easy too. Where? That place that Stella said Katerina Petrova was hiding out. Looks to me like little miss Selina burned it down." He paused. "All right," he said after a moment. "Steve's got her. You want to talk to him?"

"The boss is calling already?" Steve asked as Jack handed the phone over to him. "It's a good thing we found her so early. I would hate to think what we would have had to tell him if we _hadn't_ found her yet."

"Make sure you're still holding on to her while you talk," Max reminded Steve gently. "We don't want to bruise her any more then we already have."

"Do you really think it was a good idea to crash into her like that?" Jack asked Max. "The boss might not like that we bruised the merchandise."

"We had a good reason to do what we did," Max said quickly, taking one hand off the wheel to brush some of his auburn hair out of his eyes. "It was simpler to knock her out first. If we hadn't, then we would have had to chase her down; she would have had a chance to get away. Then, we would have had to go back empty handed."

Steve was having a difficult time holding on to Selina while talking on the phone. "I'm holding on to her right now," he assured his boss. "We should be back at the house pretty soon. Selina?" he looked down at the prone figure in his lap. "She's fine. She struggled a lot when we picked her up, but we finally got her to calm down and she's asleep now. All right, see you when we get back."

He shut the phone and handed it back to Jack, who was looking at him with admiration. "Wow," Jack said. "Lying to the boss; that takes guts."

"I wasn't lying," Steve protested as he centered Selina's body. "That's what would have happened if we would have taken the more difficult path of retrieval."

"Which we didn't do, so it was lying," Max finished for him, his green eyes flashing. "Instead of making up lies, we should be thinking up plausible explanations for what caused the bruising and the bad bump. Do you realize that we could be killed for this?"

"We'd still be making up lies," Steve pointed out. "Why do you think the boss was so insistent about getting her back to the house in one piece?"

Max shrugged. "I don't know. I thought I overheard him mentioning that she was the key to something and they needed to keep her safe."

"I was in his room once and I saw a picture of her on his dresser, from awhile ago. I think he was in love with her at some point." Jack said.

"There's no point in speculating," Steve said. "He wouldn't tell us if we asked him."

They stayed silent after that, until they reached the hideout, a large Victorian mansion with one of the front windows lit. "Here," Steve said as soon as Max parked. "Could someone else grab her for a minute?"

Max nodded and took her out of Steve's arms, but as the transfer was taking place, she suddenly moved, moaning. "Geez!" Max cried, eyes wide. He started and grabbed her just before losing grip on her upper half.

"Let's just get her inside and lay her down," Jack said, putting the keys to the car in his pocket. "After all we've been through I wouldn't mind a little sleep myself."

When they got inside, all the lights were off. Steve snapped one on, and they placed Selina on the couch, putting a blanket over her before heading upstairs to their rooms. When they were nearly home free, they ran into Tommy.

"So you got her," he said. "Where is she?"

"Downstairs," Steve said immediately. "Would have brought her up with us Boss, but since she's asleep, she's really just a dead weight and I wouldn't want to drop her."

Tommy stared at them suspiciously for a moment, then said, "where downstairs did you put her?"

"On the red couch near the glass table," Max said quickly. "She's still asleep though, so try not to wake her up."

Tommy nodded before heading down the stairs. "Goodnight, boys," he said. "See you in the morning."

The trio replied in kind and then Tommy headed downstairs, where of course he had no trouble finding her. He squeezed between the table and the sofa, staring down at her. He moved some hair away from her face, breathing in sharply when he saw the bruises. "What happened to you?" he whispered. Just then, she whimpered and began to shift position, but the couch was so narrow that there wasn't enough room and she just ended up thrashing like a flipped turtle and landing back on her back. Sighing, Tommy sat down next to her and gently picked her up so that she was leaning against his chest with her head on his shoulder. Her breathing became even, and he could swear that she smiled. Kissing her forehead, he waited out the hours with her until morning.

* * *

Just as light was pouring through the windows, Selina groaned and opened her eyes, starting. "Tommy!" she cried in surprise. He gently helped her sit up and she looked around. "Where are we?" she asked. "The lights are on. We aren't at your house!" She paused as the pain hit. "What's going on with my head?" she asked. "I don't feel well at all."

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tommy asked.

"I was at Katherine's place," Selina said. "I mean the place she's hiding out at. I'd gotten some really bad news and I just finally decided it was time. I grabbed some matches and gasoline and drove there, and then I just torched the place."

"You burned Katherine's house down?" Tommy asked. "Was she inside?"

"Yes," Selina nodded, swaying dangerously. "Look," she said. "I really need to get to the bathroom or else I'm going to be sick all over the floor. And could you do something about the lights please? They're really bothering my eyes."

"Here," Tommy took her hand to steady her and led her to a nearby bathroom not a moment too soon. As soon he shut the door behind her, he heard the sounds of retching. After a few minutes, it stopped and the toilet flushed.

"Do you think you're finished?" he asked her as she emerged. "Or do you think we should keep you in there longer?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I'll be all right for now." Even so, Tommy placed his hands around her waist to help her keep her balance as she walked back to the couch, sitting her down gently. "So," she asked again, "where are we?"

He averted his gaze. "I can't tell you that yet," he said. "But everything is okay. You'll have to trust me on that." He paused. "Do you need something for your head? Some ice or something for the bump?"

Selina gently leaned back. "Sure," she said. "But why can't you tell me where we are? Is it a secret?"

He hesitated. "No," he said finally. "It's not a secret, but I don't think you'd be very happy with me if I told you the truth. Just know that you're here because I love you and I want to protect you."

Selina felt her stomach sink. She'd heard that phrase or variations of it several times in both life and unlife and the actions that accompanied it never particularly ended well for her. "That's sweet," she said. "But I would much rather have the truth. What's so bad you can't tell me?"

"Promise you won't be mad?" he asked.

"I promise," Selina nodded.

"Well," he began, "remember that story I told you about how I'm still here?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you saw that gypsy lady because you were afraid of fighting for the Union and she put some spell on you that just about made you indestructible."

"Well," he took a deep breath. "That's not really the truth. I made it up."

"Really?" Selina said in surprise. "So you're a vampire after all?"

He nodded. "I am. But on the bright side, I'm hard to kill. I didn't make that up."

"I bet the gypsy lady did that for you," Selina smiled. "It's a shame she's not around anymore. I could use the extra protection in case the Originals get hold of me."

"Actually…" he began, but stalled at the hopeful look in her eyes. He tried again. "Actually….I have to go." He stood up and practically ran out of the room.

Selina started to call after him, but thought better of it. Turning back to the glass table, she began to trace the designs on the top, stopping when she heard another voice. "He didn't tell you, did he?" she said. "I didn't think he would."

"Rose," said Selina, standing up. "Could you tell me where it is I am? And why? Do you know what Tommy was trying to say?"

"Tommy," Rose laughed. "It's so weird to hear him called that. It's not really his name, you know. Although I suppose if you've been around for thousands of years, you can't help but want to change your identity every once in awhile."

"_Thousands of years?"_ Selina's glance went to the archway through which Tommy had disappeared. Then, she turned back to Rose and gasped. "Are you saying that he's a-"

"Yes," Rose nodded. "He's an Original, all right. He couldn't be anything else."

"Oh, God," Selina said. "How can you be so calm about this? I could very well be dead any second."

"No you won't," Rose shook her head. "And that's exactly why you're here by the way. Tommy sent out three of his agents to come get you from Katerina Petrova's."

"I don't remember anyone coming to get me," Selina said carefully. "I set Katherine's house on fire with her locked inside. I watched for a little bit, started to drive back home, and then I realized that I was being followed, so I stopped on the side of the street and then got rear-ended and knocked out by my own steering wheel. That's the last thing I remember before this morning."

"That explains the bump," Rose said, coming to look at it. "How many of me do you see?"

"Two," Selina said promptly. "And I already threw up this morning."

"God, you've got a concussion, I think," Rose said. "I would have thought that Tommy would have sent some more intelligent guys to pick you up, but obviously he just recruited whoever he could find." She instructed Selina to lie down and then got an ice pack for her head. "Hold this," she instructed. "It'll bring the swelling down."

Just then, Max came down stairs, whistling through his teeth. "Morning, Rose," he said as he saw her.

"Looks like you handled things really well last night, Max," Rose said. "I believe Tommy specifically said he wanted Selina delivered concussed and ill."

"We didn't mean to," Max said quickly. "It was an accident. And it probably would have turned out the same way if we'd tried some other way besides rear ending her. You can't gently kidnap somebody. They always struggle."

"If you would have thought up a clever enough fib, then she wouldn't have struggled," Rose said. "You could have said that you were friends of Tommy's and he wanted to see her. Then, she would have come willingly and wouldn't have gotten hurt. So what are you going to tell him when he asks you what happened to her?"

"I don't know. I was too busy thinking about how to tell _you_ that Elijah's coming back today and he's bringing Stella with him," Max said. "I'll figure out what to tell the boss."

"Who was that?" Selina asked, taking the ice off her head. "He was one of the guys who kidnapped me, wasn't he?"

"Yes," Rose nodded.

"Who was he talking about?" Selina asked, just as a car pulled up, and there was the sound of keys jingling in the front door. "Elijah," Rose whispered. "He's one of Klaus's foot soldiers."

Selina's eyes widened. "He knows Klaus?" She took the bag off her head and began rapidly striding toward the front door. "So long," she said to Rose. "I'd rather stay alive, thank you." But just as she got to the door and had it opened a crack, someone appeared before her and shut it. "Leaving so soon?" he asked. "I had hoped you wouldn't leave before I had a chance to introduce myself."

"I know who you are," Selina said, her voice shaking. "And I know what you want with me. That's why I want to get the hell out."

"You're shaking," he observed, reaching out for her. "Are you frightened of me?"

She stared at him in silence for a few moments before saying quietly, "I'd be stupid not to be."

"I don't understand why," he said. "I've heard you're quite fond of one of my associates and he and I are very much alike."

"I doubt it," Selina said, shaking her head. "Now please take your hand off the door so that I can go home."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," at the sound of the voice, Selina became momentarily distracted. "Stella?" she said. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Stella shrugged. "My husband's out of town for a little while so I thought I should do something productive with myself."

Selina frowned. "You call consorting with the forces of evil 'being productive'?"

"Of course not," Stella shook her head. "Do you want to know why you were brought here?"

"Only since I've been awake," Selina said. "But no one will tell me."

"All right," Stella said, sitting down next to Rose. "You know that Klaus needs a doppelganger to help lift the curse, right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded.

"And you also know that there are two available: you and Elena. Well, since we don't want you to be the one Klaus murders, we brought you here so you'll be more difficult to locate. Having you and Elena in the same space would be saying 'here I am, ripe for the picking'."

"What about him?" Selina nodded slightly at Elijah. "He's in on it with the rest of us," Stella confirmed. "I know you might find this hard to believe, but it's true."

"Klaus and I had a falling out several years ago," Elijah said. "I was in his inner circle, but then he threw me out. And ever since then, I've been on the lookout for Katerina Petrova, or her double, whose presence would draw him out because he'd want to kill her. It was always the plan to Sacrifice a Petrova, but you my dear are much prettier. The only thing Klaus enjoys more than a pretty girl is a _dead _pretty girl I would love nothing more than to destroy him, but I wouldn't want to see you be the bait. I've heard too many good things about you and your family to want that."

"Really?" Selina slowly began moving away from the door. "So if I believe you," she said, "and I'm not sure I do, this house is full of people who want Katherine and her line dead, and are hiding me so that Klaus will think he has no other choice."

"Exactly," Elijah nodded. "We want Klaus to go after Elena."

Selina had begun walking down the front steps and froze at this. "What?" she asked.

"We want Klaus to go after Elena," Elijah repeated. "I think he would prefer Katerina Petrova, but the doppelganger has to be human."

"But I'm not human," Selina protested.

"But you _can_ be, can't you?" Elijah asked her. "You can be turned human."

"Oh, my—" Selina began biting her thumbnail. "You're right. I can be turned human and sacrificed if Klaus finds out where I am!"

"See?" Stella said, coming over to stand behind her, putting a firm hand on her shoulders. "That's why it's important for you to stay here with us."

* * *

"Did you see Selina this morning?" Damon asked. "She wasn't in bed when I woke up."

"No," Stefan said. "But she has to be here. Her car's in the driveway."

Damon groaned in frustration and began angrily punching numbers into his phone. "Would you go drive around the neighborhood and see if you see her?" he asked Stefan. Stefan nodded, but just as he reached the door, his phone rang. "Hello?" he asked. Elena was on the other end. She was crying and talking very fast. He listened for a moment, then said "of course I'll be there. Just a minute."

"What happened?" Damon asked.

Stefan sighed. "Elena was calling from the hospital. Apparently Bonnie got hurt last night and lost a lot of blood. The doctors did all they could but weren't able to save her. Elena needs me for moral support."

Damon nodded. "Go," he said. "Go and be with Elena. I can handle things here." Just as Stefan was leaving, Tyler came into the house. "Turn on the news," he said quickly. "They keep talking about Selina. Well, they don't mention her by name, but it's her." Damon grabbed the remote and flipped on the television. Flashing across the screen was a blurry picture of a woman being hauled out of her car by two men. They then put her in their car and drove away. "Selina's been kidnapped," Tyler said. "What should we do?"

"You," Damon said standing up, "aren't going to do anything. I'm going to find out whoever the hell took her and personally kill all of them. Slowly." He pulled out his phone again and dialed. "Hey Stella, it's Junior. You wouldn't happen to know where Selina is, would you? You do? I have been watching the news. She's fine? What the hell do you mean 'don't worry about it'? My wife was abducted in the middle of the night! It's all over the news for God's sake! You bet I'm going to worry. You tell me where she is right now!" He paused for a few moments, listening. Then, he shut his phone and slammed it down on the table, causing it to shatter.

"Junior?" Tyler asked, smirking.

"Oh, shut up," Damon snapped.

Just then, there was another knock at the door. Damon went to open it and when he saw who was on the other side, his eyes widened. There, on the front step, looking dirty, disheveled and irritated, was Katherine. "Bet you're surprised to see me," Katherine said, striding in.

"A little," Damon admitted. "Seeing as Selina set fire to your house last night. No wonder you still smell like smoke."

"It wasn't that difficult to get out," Katherine said dismissively. "A nice neighbor boy I've gotten to know released me. Now," she said, bringing her hands down hard on the coffee table. "Where's Elena? I have to talk to her."

"No you don't," Damon said immediately.

Katherine growled and put her hands around his throat, slamming him against a wall. "Tell me where she is," she said sharply. "_Now_."

"Hospital," Damon finally managed to choke out.

"Thank you," Katherine said as she released him. She left the house and a stunned Damon and Tyler behind.

* * *

Elena was sitting in Stefan's car wiping her eyes when she realized she wasn't alone. She leaned forward, looked in the side mirror, and gasped. "Katherine," she turned.

"Hello, Elena," Katherine said from the backseat.

"What do you want?" Elena asked.

"I just came to give you some friendly advice," Katherine said, moving up to sit beside her. "Pretty soon, Klaus will be here, and under ordinary circumstances, he would be out for your blood, but due to some quick thinking on my part, I arranged things so that another girl's family would make dopplegangers instead."

"I know," Elena said. "Andria Salvatore. And Selina's the other doppelganger."

"Exactly," Katherine smiled. "It's you or her. You know what you have to do, don't you?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "I won't do it. Selina's my friend. I won't betray her like you betrayed Stella."

Katherine smiled a bitter smile. "You say that now, Elena, but when Klaus comes, demanding your blood or hers, trust me, you'll be more than willing to throw Selina to the wolves. It's just the way of things."


	14. Little Drop of Poison

Elena shook her head. "No, I wouldn't. And _she_ wouldn't want _me_ to die either." Katherine rolled her eyes. "Please," she said. "Don't be ridiculous. I bet that if you went up to her and asked her if she would give up her life for you, she'd say no."

Elena leaned forward. "What makes you say that?"

"Do you know where Selina is right now?" Katherine asked. "I'll tell you: she's at a hideout somewhere with Stella, Stella's husband, and a bunch of other people who would love to see you die."

"Are you serious?" Elena's voice shook. "Yes," Katherine nodded. "I am." She paused. "It's not really fair, is it?" she asked. "That Selina gets a whole team of protectors and you don't have anyone."

"I have people," Elena said indignantly. "What about Stefan? He'd want to save me."

Katherine inhaled deeply. "Maybe," she said, shrugging. "But you're up against his sister-in-law, who he's known a lot longer. Plus, what do you think his family would say if they knew that he was betraying them like that to be with you? You know how Stefan is: Honor means so much more to him. He'd _never_ betray his family just for a girl."

Elena shook her head. "That's not true," she got out. "He did once. For you, didn't he?"

Katherine smiled slowly. "I guess you're right. If that's the case, it's anyone's guess which way he'll go."

"But what about me?" Elena asked. "Selina's got a whole house full of protectors; who's going to watch out for _me_?"

Katherine became serious. "Don't worry. You'll have people; I'll get them for you. We have to stick together now, because even though it might seem reprehensible to you, I'm one of the few people you can trust anymore. If you don't believe me, next time you see Selina, ask her whose life means more; then you'll see what lies Stella has been feeding her." Katherine opened the car door and was just about to leave when Elena asked her one more thing: "who are you getting for me?"

Katherine put her hand on the doorframe. "Don't worry; they'll be good people; perfect for the job in fact; and perfectly willing. They'll probably be here in a couple of days. Now, if you feel better, you might want to head back inside before Stefan starts to worry." Elena nodded and Katherine shut the car door and disappeared. Once Katherine was gone, Elena sat back and took a deep breath before opening the car door herself and heading back into the hospital.

* * *

"How are you?" Stefan asked when he saw her. "Feeling any better?" Elena nodded. "Yeah," she said, "for now." Stefan just held on to her for a moment. Then, someone else joined them.

"Hello, Sheila," Stefan said gently. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

Elena nodded. "I am too, of course. Bonnie was my best friend."

Grams sat down next to them. Her gaze was blank. She said nothing. When Stefan touched her on the shoulder, she started. She looked at him for a moment, and then her gaze became reproachful. "Doesn't surprise me, how Bonnie died," she said quietly. "I told her that getting involved with vampires was a bad idea, and one of them finally just finished her off."

"That was my fault, really," Elena said. "It was my idea to put Bonnie and Selina in the same room when Selina was having a bad day."

"_Selina_ did this?" Stefan asked in surprise. "Selina killed Bonnie? She wouldn't do that."

"She _did_, Stefan. I was there," Elena said. "It was horrible to watch."

"You were there when Bonnie died?" Grams asked, reaching out to her. "Please tell me what happened."

Elena sighed and sat down. "If you insist," she said. "Selina's been under a lot of stress lately, so I thought it would be a nice break if she, Caroline, Bonnie and I had a girls' night in. I had an inkling there might be some friction between Bonnie and Selina at first, so I bought boxes and boxes of Selina's favorite cupcakes in hopes that she would always have her mouth full and not say anything antagonistic. It worked, for awhile, until we decided to watch television. We were flipping through the channels when we saw a commercial for a television movie about a woman whose baby was taken from her by an unscrupulous doctor. It just made Selina flip out. She began muttering about how when Emily made her sick, she hadn't been the only victim, and that Bonnie would have to pay for Emily's crime. That was when Selina bit her. I tried to stop it, but Selina was just so angry, I couldn't. I'm sorry, so sorry." She began to tear up.

Grams was frowning. "What did Selina mean when she said that she wasn't Emily's only victim?"

Stefan sighed. "Selina didn't know it at the time, but she was pregnant when Emily gave her scarlet fever. If Doctor Stensrund hadn't given her his blood, both of them probably would have been lost."

"Did the baby die?" Grams asked quietly.

Stefan shook his head. "No, my nephew came out right on schedule and apparenty led a full and productive life under the watchful eye of my father."

"So Bonnie was killed for no reason." Sheila's voice was soft and dangerous. "Selina let her anger get the best of her and she punished an innocent woman."

Stefan's gaze became hard. "I wouldn't say that's true," he said. "Emily _did_ use her magic to make Selina ill. She could have chosen not to. In fact, she's very lucky that Dr. Stensrund was around to correct the mistake she made. If he hadn't been, Emily's wickedness would have cost two people very dear to me their lives."

"You call Emily wicked?" Sheila asked. "She didn't know that Selina was expecting when she cast the spell. If she _had_ known, she would have refused. She wasn't a monster!"

"Oh," Stefan shot back, "so it would have been perfectly all right in your eyes for Emily to make Selina ill if she _hadn't _been expecting?"

Grams breathed sharply. "It's _never_ all right for people to hurt each other," she said. "And I'll make sure Selina learns that lesson."

"If you so much as go near her," Stefan said, "you'll regret it. Selina's suffered enough from the Bennetts over the years."

"As we have from her," Grams replied curtly. "Remember what I told you, Mr. Salvatore: I'll take care of mine before anyone else. And you'll take care of yours. There's nothing we can do about it." And with that, she stood up and stalked out of the hospital.

Stefan sat in silence for a moment before turning back to Elena who was looking at him in surprise. "She was right," Elena said quietly.

"Who was right?" Stefan asked. "About what?"

"Nothing," Elena shook her head. "We can't do anything more here. Let's go back to the boardinghouse and see how Damon's doing."

Stefan nodded and followed her out to his car, but during the ride back, he kept giving her looks, possibly hoping she'd explain further. She would, eventually, when she figured out whether or not she could trust him.

* * *

Selina was in bed, lying on her stomach and flipping through the pages of a magazine when she heard the knock on the door. "Come in," she called, shutting it and sitting up. A minute later, Tommy entered, his eyes on the carpet. When he reached her bed, he looked up at her, his expression sheepish. "Hi," he said.

She blinked. "Hi yourself. What do you want?"

He sat down beside her. "I just came to see if you were all right," he said. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks," she shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Look," he said at last. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, all right? It was just that I knew we'd end up like this once I told you."

Selina laughed humorlessly. "I'm not mad because you neglected to tell me you're an Original," she said. "I'm mad because…" she paused. "Well, actually that _is_ what I'm mad at you about. Also for leaving. Why the hell did you really leave?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it's because I loved you too much and my feelings were starting to frighten me."

"Seriously?" Selina scoffed. "That's the best you can come up with? 'My feelings were starting to frighten me'?"

He kept his eyes locked on hers. "Yes," he said. "Because it's the truth. I know it's a horrible excuse, but at least it's honest."

"You know what?" Selina said, leaning in close. "I think the reason why you left is because you don't love me at all. You must have known about this doppleganger thing and were just waiting for the right moment to turn me over to your overlord. And then you got scared and left because you knew I'd eventually figure you out."

His gaze became cold. "Don't be any more stupid than you can help," he said. "You had no idea about dopplegangers or the Originals the whole time we were married."

"Fine," Selina replied. "Maybe I didn't. But I _could_ have."

Suddenly, his expression lightened and he began to stroke her hair. "Why are we fighting like this?" he asked, his voice silky. "We shouldn't be fighting. We love each other too much." He locked eyes with her. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," she said, her voice flat. "I do. I'm sorry."

He smiled. "That's all right," he said. "Just don't let it happen again." As he backed off from her, she blinked and smiled at him. "Hi, Tommy!" she said brightly. "I'm so glad to see you." She hugged him and then winced. "My head still hurts a little."

"I'll get you some more ice," he said, standing up. "By the way, how did this happen? How did you get all these bruises?"

"It's kind of fuzzy now," she admitted. "But I was driving back from Katerina Petrova's house and some jerks rear-ended me. My head banged against the steering wheel, and that's the last thing I remember before I woke up here."

Tommy's eyes became dark. "Is that so?" he said.

She nodded, bouncing up and down a little on the bed. After a moment, Tommy grabbed one of the bedposts and pulled away from the bed with a loud noise. Selina squealed as splinters covered her shirt and jeans. "Sorry," he said quickly. "There's just something I have to take care of." He put the post on the floor and left the room. When he returned a few minutes later, he had an axe and a sharp knife. Using the axe, he chopped the bedpost into three even pieces and began to whittle one of the ends of the pieces to sharp points. "What are you doing?" Selina asked.

He looked up at her for a moment. "Avenging you," he said simply. Once he was certain the edges was sharp enough, he hid the pieces in the closet. "What do you mean, 'avenging me'?" Selina asked. "I'm _fine_."

He shook his head. "No, you aren't. You said you were hurt."

"A little," Selina admitted. "But it's really not that bad."

He waved her assurances away, heading to the door and leaning his head out. "Steve?" He called. "Max? Jack? Can you come here for a moment?"

They came eagerly. "Yes, Boss?" Steve asked. "What can we do for you?"

"Well," Tommy told him, "you can stand right by the door and not move. And don't face me; face the hallway."

"All right," Jack nodded agreeably and the three of them faced the hallway. When he was absolutely sure they weren't looking at him, Tommy went to the closet and grabbed the three makeshift stakes. One by one, he aimed each stake as if he were throwing a javelin. All three hit their marks, catching Max, Steve, and Jack squarely in the center of their backs. They fell in front of the door in a crumpled heap.

"Oh, my God," Selina said once it was over. "Why did you _do_ that?"

"They knew that death was a possibility if you were injured," Tommy said dismissively, shoving the bodies aside. "I'll go get you that ice now."

* * *

"Have you found Selina yet?" Stefan asked Damon when he got to the kitchen.

"No," Damon answered curtly. "I called Stella, who apparently knows where she is but won't tell me; all she _will _say is that Selina is 'safe'."

"Well that's a good thing, right?" Stefan asked.

"Maybe," Damon answered moodily. "But I don't understand why Stella wouldn't tell me anything."

"Maybe it has something to do with protecting Selina and you'll be let in on it eventually," Stefan said helpfully.

"I don't see why Stella would wait if that was the case," Damon said. "I mean, who in the world would want to protect Selina more than me?" he asked.

"No one that I can think of," Stefan answered immediately.

Damon nodded. "You're damn right. I was going to look for her, then Katherine showed up, looking for Elena before I could leave."

"Katherine came here looking for Elena?" Stefan asked, frowning. "Did she say why?"

Damon shook his head. "She just said that the two of them needed to 'talk'."

"You didn't tell her where Elena was, did you?" Stefan asked.

"I did," Damon said. "She was very persuasive."

"_That's_ why Elena was looking at me so funny on the way home from the hospital," Stefan exclaimed. "Katherine got to her somehow. I wonder what she said?"

"Maybe Elena will tell you if you ask nicely enough," Damon told him. "I bet it has something to do with the little doppleganger war we've got going on. Maybe Katherine told Elena that she can't trust you."

"What?" Stefan asked. "Of course Elena can trust me! If Elena and Selina were both trapped in a burning building, I'd save Elena first and not feel a lick of guilt about it."

"Could you say that in front of Stella?" Damon asked. "Or her husband?"

Stefan's look became uncertain. He slowly began to back away. "Yep," Damon said. "I thought so. No wonder Elena thinks she can't trust you. I feel sorry for you, Stefan," he said, patting him on the back. "You're in the middle of a war, and whatever side you pick, you're going to hurt someone you love."

* * *

That night, Selina slept fitfully, disturbed by dreams about her son. Finally, there was one so vivid that she opened her eyes, gasped for air, and found herself covered in a thin, cold layer of sweat. She sat up and looked around the dark room. Everything was eerily silent. "I've got to get out of here," she whispered. She didn't even bother with changing out of her nightgown or putting on shoes. She just worked her way down the stairs and got herself outside. In the cool night air, she paused for breath and then began to run, not stopping even when her chest began to hurt and it became difficult to breathe. Finally, she reached the Lockwood Mansion, rang the bell three times, and then collapsed.

A few minutes later, Caroline opened the door and gasped. "Tyler!" she called. "Selina's on the front step. I think she's hurt!" Tyler hurried to the front door, and the two of them grabbed Selina and carried her to the living room and placed her on a couch. "I'll go get water," Tyler said. "Caroline, you watch her and see if she moves."

Caroline nodded, sitting down on the couch until Tyler returned. He came back with a bucket of warm water in one hand and a damp cloth in the other. He put the bucket down and began dabbing the cloth on Selina's neck and chest. Finally, Selina let out a soft moan and opened her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked, sounding dazed.

"At the mansion," Tyler said quietly, helping her to sit up, and then taking a seat next to her. "Caroline found you collapsed on the front steps. What happened? Can you remember?"

"I don't know," Selina shook her head. "I remember feeling terrified, like I had to get away. I left the house and just ran."

"What house?" Caroline asked.

"The house where they're keeping me," Selina said. "So that the Originals and their overlord can't find and sacrifice me."

"Why were you feeling terrified?" Tyler asked. "Were you in bed before? Was it a bad dream?"

"I guess 'terrified' is the wrong word for what I was feeling," Selina told him. "'Overwhelmed' might be a more accurate descriptor. I had a dream about when I saw my son again, after he was all grown up."

"You had a son?" Caroline asked. "When did that happen?"

"December 1864," Selina said. "Dr. Stensrund turned me after he sent the baby away to be raised by Damon and Stefan's father."

Caroline gasped. "Is that why the commercial for that TV movie made you upset?" she asked. "Because it made you think of your son?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "It's probably no excuse for killing Bonnie, but it's an excuse."

"What was his name?" Tyler asked.

"My son's? Joshua," Selina said. "Joshua Damon Salvatore. When I saw him again, it was Halloween, 1883. He'd come to check and see if the Lady in Red story was true, just like everyone else, but unlike with everyone else, I actually showed myself to him. _I hadn't meant to, honestly, but he looked so much like Damon, and I'd been lonely for so long that I was full of hope. I remember coming upon Joshua, asleep in front of the fireplace in one of the downstairs sitting rooms. He opened his eyes, sat up, and gazed up at me. 'Oh, my God,' he breathed. I stared at him in amazement. 'You've finally come back,' I said, mistaking him for his father. 'I'm so happy you've come back!' I reached out to hug him, but he leaned away from me. He gazed into my eyes for a moment, then removed a small gold pendent from his lapel. It would ordinarily have gone on a chain and been worn as a necklace, but this particular pendant had a pin attached to the back. He opened the pendant, stared at what was inside for a few moments, and then looked back at me. 'I'm not who you think I am,' he said. 'But I _have_ come back, and I hope I'm just as welcome.'_

"_With a trembling hand, he held out the open pendant. I took it and saw that inside it were pictures of Damon and myself. I looked at them for a moment, then looked back at my son. 'Joshua?' I breathed. 'Hello, Mother,' he said quietly. _

"I honestly don't think I've ever cried so much as I did then," Selina confessed. "He told me that his grandfather had just died and that he'd promised himself since he was a little boy that one day he'd come and visit me."

"He knew you were a vampire?" Tyler asked.

"Apparently he spent a lot of time with Johnathan Gilbert growing up," Selina said. "And one of the things they always talked about was how Elena's very sharp ancestor was never entirely convinced of my death from scarlet fever, and how I might have been saved from it by being turned."

"What did Joshua's grandfather tell him about you?" Caroline asked.

"Just that I died in childbirth," Selina said. "I very much doubt Joshua would have gotten the truth at home. Giuseppe was much too practical for that."

"Wow," Caroline said. "I had no idea about any of this."

"I try not to think about it too much," Selina said. "It was a painful part of my life. But my meeting with my son did have one good outcome: I told him everything, and that made him come up with the second version of the Lady in Red story where I was Dr. Stensrund's innocent victim. Nice of my son to get my name out of the mud."

"_That's_ why there are two versions of the story," Caroline said. "I've always wondered about that."

"If you're feeling better, would you like me to take you back to the boardinghouse?" Tyler asked.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "Thanks." She looked at them both. "And thanks for taking care of me."

"No problem," Caroline replied. They said goodbye and Selina followed Tyler out to his car.

They arrived at the boardinghouse soon after. It was Damon who answered Tyler's knock. Without a word, he scooped Selina up and carried her away, giving Tyler a quick "Thanks!" before shutting the door.

Damon took her to their bedroom where he looked her over. "What happened to you?" he asked. "Why are you dressed like this?"

"I ran away," Selina shrugged. "I had to. I should probably go back tomorrow, though." She paused, looking up at him. "You should come with me," she said. "After all, you're part of this too."

He nodded. "I certainly am."

* * *

Elena awoke a couple of days later to a sharp knock on her bedroom door. Before she even invited anyone in, the door opened and Katherine entered, followed by two other people who Elena was stunned to see. "Uncle John," she said. "Isobel. What are you doing here?"

"We're here to help you, Elena," Katherine said.

"You're our daughter, Elena," Isobel added. "It's the least we can do."


	15. Ironic

"You're really serious, aren't you?" Elena asked, sitting up.

"Well why wouldn't we be?" Katherine asked, sitting down next to her on the bed. "You said you wanted people to protect you, I told you I'd deliver, and I did."

Elena nodded. "So this really is war?" she asked.

"Yes," John nodded. "And you realize where you have to stand, don't you?"

Elena got out of bed and leaned against it. "You mean I have to kill one of my best friends so I don't get killed," she said quietly. "Or hand her over, or give her up…betray someone I'm close to just to save my own life." She looked up at Katherine. "How hard was it for you to give up Stella? Was it difficult?"

"Of course not," Katherine said immediately. "I wanted to live, and if giving up Stella was the best way to do that, then giving up Stella was what I would do."

"So it wasn't hard for you," Elena surmised. "I thought as much." She began to pace. "I need time to think about this," she said.

"What's there to think about?" John asked. "She's a _vampire_ for God's sake! Her nature is to kill people! She's not going to care about you. Draw her out and give her up."

Elena shook her head. "You're wrong," she said. "Selina's better than that." She narrowed her eyes at Katherine. "Even though she's a vampire, she's probably more human now than you ever were."

Katherine's expression didn't change. "Tell me, Elena," she said slowly. "What were you doing at the hospital today?"

Elena swallowed. "I was visiting an injured friend. Her wounds were so bad she ended up not making it."

"Ah," Katherine nodded. "And how exactly did this friend of yours die?"

Elena delayed speaking for as long as she could before saying quietly "Selina killed her."

Katherine walked over to stand next to her. "Why would Selina kill a friend of yours? Do you blame her for your friend's death?"

Elena scoffed and pushed Katherine away. "I don't blame Selina for Bonnie's death," she said, her voice shaking. "I blame _you_. When you told Emily to make Selina sick with scarlet fever, Selina was pregnant, although she didn't know it at the time. She only found out about it after going to see Dr. Stensrund. If Dr. Stensrund hadn't given Selina his blood when he did, then she and the baby might have been lost. She blamed Emily for the near-loss of her baby before he was born, but since Emily is dead, Bonnie was the substitute. Did you know any of this?"

Katherine nodded. "I do, as a matter of fact; Selina was kind enough to fill me in before she tied me up, locked me in my room and burned the house where I was staying down to the ground."

"She sounds charming," Isobel said dryly. "She's the same one who called me 'old' when I came to visit awhile back."

"You've met Selina?" Elena asked in surprise.

Isobel nodded. "The girl's got a quick temper; I wouldn't be surprised if she had a screw loose somewhere. And you know that, don't you remember? She was the one who let you know I wanted to see you, and I had to tell her that, so of course we've met."

Elena put her hands on her hips. "So you and Selina didn't get along; I'm sure there was a good reason for that. Selina's not the type to hate people for no reason."

"As a matter of fact, there was; knowing that Damon was the one who turned me made her a little sore," Isobel replied.

"Of course it did!" Elena burst out. "Selina and Damon were engaged, for God's sake. She _loves _him!"

"Ah," Katherine said. "So we can't trust him, either."

"I think the easiest course of action would be to eliminate all the vampires in town," John put in. "That way, there won't be any interference with getting Selina where she needs to be."

"That seems like a tall order," Isobel said dryly. "How do you propose we destroy _all_ the vampires in town?"

"Well," John said, "a hundred and forty-five years ago, during the first vampire panic in Mystic Falls, the original Johnathan Gilbert made a weapon that was capable of exposing vampires. The sound it makes can expose vampires in up to a five-mile radius."

"And just where is this magical vampire-exposing tool?" Isobel asked. "Do you have it, or not?"

John shook his head. "Not on me, no; but I know where it is, and I can get it quite easily."

"You _better_ be able to," Isobel said. "This is too important to screw up."

"I will," he said softly, then stalked out the door. Once he was gone, Isobel and Katherine gave Elena looks. "Just watch yourself," Isobel said finally.

"Let me guess," Elena told her. "You want me to stay away from Selina, right?"

Isobel shook her head. "I'd actually encourage you to spend as much time with her as you can so you can see that we're right about her and you're wrong."

"Well that'll be difficult," Elena said. "She disappeared awhile ago, and I don't know where her hideout is. And even if I _could_ find it, they probably wouldn't let me in, seeing as I'm the enemy and all."

"You don't know that," Isobel said.

Elena frowned. "Are you suggesting I try and find Selina's hideout and infiltrate it?"

Isobel nodded. "Do whatever you have to do to get near Selina. We have to know what she's up to at all times."

Elena blinked. "My God. You're really serious, aren't you?" She repeated.

Isobel's expression darkened. "Of course I'm serious, Elena. Dead serious."

* * *

"Morning," Damon said as Stefan came down the stairs. "Why are you looking so cheerful?"

"I'm not." Stefan was frowning. "And I don't want to talk about it."

"Let me guess," Damon said. "You're still all angsty and torn about the whole 'possible-betrayal-of-your-girlfriend-to-the-forces-of-evil' thing, right?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Stefan asked.

"No," Damon said cheerfully. "For me, it wouldn't be a contest."

"What wouldn't be a contest?" Selina asked, grabbing the orange juice carton from the refrigerator. She'd come downstairs around the same time Damon had.

"Well apparently, Stefan's got a little dilemma on his hands," Damon informed her. "See, there are two dopplegangers: you and Elena. Neither of you want to be sacrificed to the Originals, so in order to keep you safe, you need protection in the form of close and loving friends, family, and associates. Especially where our little group is concerned, everyone has to pick a side. For me, it's no problem, but Stefan is having difficulty choosing a side."

"Really?" Selina said in surprise. "What's stopping you from siding with Elena? Because I think you should go with her, since she's the one you love and all."

"Well, thank you," Stefan told her. "Actually, you aren't the one I'm worried about objecting."

"Who _are_ you worried about objecting?" Selina took a drink of her orange juice and set it down on the counter. "Is it Stella?"

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "I know that if she finds out that I chose to go with Elena instead of with you, bad things will happen to me."

Selina sucked in a breath and put a hand on his arm. "I wish I could tell you something more reassuring Stefan, but I think you may be right about that."

"What if _you _told her that you wanted me to go with Elena?" Stefan asked her hopefully. "She wouldn't be angry then, right?"

"I could try," Selina said. "I need to go back there anyway. I left in kind of a hurry, and people are probably wondering where I am."

"I'm coming too," Damon told her, following her back upstairs. "Remember, that's what we decided on."

"I know," Selina said, her voice fading as she got closer to the bedroom. "I wasn't going to leave you behind."

* * *

Stella was sitting at her desk with her chin resting on her arms, staring at a bird that was sitting on a branch just outside her window. At the knock on her bedroom door, she jumped. "Come in," she called after she'd recovered.

A moment later, Rose entered. "Are you all right?" She asked, coming to stand beside Stella, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You've been on edge these last few days, haven't you?"

"Of course I have!" Stella exclaimed. "Selina disappeared without a word! Who knows what might have happened to her?"

"She's probably fine," Rose said. "I bet she can look out for herself at least a little. You don't live for a century or more without learning a few tricks. Do you want to know why I came in here?"

"To keep me company in my hours of loneliness?" Stella answered dryly.

"No, of course not. You've got Elijah for that. What would you want me for?" Rose asked. "By the way, what's up with you and him anyway? How the hell did the two of you get together?"

Stella sighed. "I thought you were going to ask that one of these days."

Rose leaned forward a little. "So you have an elaborate lie prepared?"

Stella shook her head. "I think I want to tell you the truth. See, around 1860, I was getting lonely. And when I'm lonely, as you know, I tend to start drinking. Heavily. So I found myself in this bar, I can't remember exactly where it was now, but I'd had a few drinks and Elijah showed up. He saw that I was upset and asked me what was wrong. I told him that I'd just recently lost my husband. We started talking, and when he asked me if I wanted to come back with him to his house, I was so messed up I actually said yes."

"And then you slept with him," Rose finished. "My God, I don't believe you."

"Well it wasn't _entirely_ my fault," Stella said quickly. "He can be very persuasive. Plus, I was lonely and vulnerable and he had a big…wallet."

Rose snorted, and after she finished laughing, she eyed Stella seriously. "I can't believe that you're married to the guy you're married to and you're still able to focus on the size of other mens'…wallets."

Stella frowned. "And how would _you_ know about that?"

Rose gave Stella a sheepish smile. "Damon showed up when I was working as server at a pub. He asked for a drink, I gave it to him."

"And then you slept with him?" Stella finished.

"No," Rose shook her head. "I mean, he tried. I could tell he wanted to. But he ended up just spending the whole time going on and on about _you_. How much he loved you, how much he missed you. How beautiful and smart you were."

"Did he really?" Stella said in surprise. She knew her husband and he wasn't even usually that open with _her_. "Just how many drinks had he had before he made all those lovely and heartfelt confessions?" She asked.

"Quite a few," Rose admitted.

Stella nodded. "I thought so," she said wryly. Just then, there was a crash below them and the sound of shouting. "I wonder what's going on down there?" She said.

"I don't know," Rose replied. "Maybe we should go down and see before anything else gets broken." They headed down the stairs with Stella in the lead and Rose at her heels. "What the hell is going on here?" Stella yelled. She took a deep breath and looked back and forth between the combatants. Tommy was on one side, his blonde hair mussed and a cut on his cheek that was dripping blood in a small rivulet down the right side of his face. Selina and Junior were on the other. Both were pale and defensive. Stella pushed them apart and turned to Selina. "And just where in the world have you been?" She asked. "You've been gone for three days without a word!"

"I left, all right?" Selina said testily. "I was never told I couldn't leave."

"I think that should be implied!" Stella cried out. "_Dio mio_, did you not understand a thing that we said to you when you came here?"

"You mean when you had Tommy's goons kidnap me and bring me here against my will?" Selina asked icily.

"It was for your own good," Tommy said testily. "You have no idea what you're up against."

"And why the hell wasn't I let in on this?" Damon asked. "I have more reason to want to protect her than any of you here!"

"Did you come and get her when she left?" Stella asked, turning on him. "Did you encourage her to leave?"

"How could I encourage her to leave?" Damon asked quietly. "I didn't even know where she was."

"I have a feeling you would have found a way," Stella said. She turned back to Selina. "Just where did you go?"

Selina put her hands on her hips. "Not that it's any of your business, but I went to see my cousin. I would've run straight to the boardinghouse, but I figured it would upset you if Elena and I were in the same space and she usually spends the night."

"Did you and your cousin talk about anything?" Stella asked.

"As a matter of fact, we did," Selina told her. "I told him about the nightmare I'd had that freaked me out so bad it made me run screaming out of here."

"Why didn't you just tell one of us?" Stella groaned. "Don't you realize that you may have jeopardized the entire operation?"

Selina's mouth became a thin line. Her eyes darkened. "Shut up, all right?" She snapped. "Just shut up! All my life I've had people think that they know what's best for me, and like an idiot, I've sat idly by and taken it. But you know what? Not anymore. I don't give a damn what the risk is. I just want to make my own decisions and live my own life!" She turned back to Damon. "Let's leave," she said. "Don't let me near your car keys. Remember what happened last time I was in a car and I felt like this." Then, she stalked away, with Damon close on her heels.

"That was quite a performance," Damon said once they got away from the house.

"It wasn't a performance," Selina replied stiffly, her hand on the handle to the passenger seat door. "I meant every word."

"Great," Damon said, his eyes never moving from her as she sat down and buckled her seatbelt and he got in next to her. "So," he asked after they'd been driving awhile, "what do you want to do now? Did you have a plan, or did thing stop with storming out in righteous anger?"

Selina looked at him and frowned. "Are you mocking me? I seriously hope you're not mocking me."

"_No,_" Damon shook his head. "Of course I'm not mocking you. It's nice to have you back after all the worrying you've been doing about Joshua. I'd thought I'd never see you shoot someone down ever again."

Selina smiled a little. "It was just something I needed to get out," she said. "Do you think I did an unwise thing?"

Damon shifted his hands on the wheel. "Maybe. But Stella will calm down in a couple of days and come after you with even more enthusiasm."

"Yeah," Selina scoffed. "And once she catches me, she'll probably chain me up in my room so I can't get away."

Damon nodded. "That's not going to happen because I'm _not_ letting you go back there. I don't care if you think my saying it makes me sound jealous and territorial. It's just something that needs to be said."

Selina turned slightly. "So it _is_ because of Tommy that you wanted me out of there?"

"Yes," Damon nodded. "I don't know what you ever saw in him."

Selina shrugged. "I don't know either, anymore. It's like I had this image in my head of how he _was_, and after spending time with him, it seems he just doesn't measure up any longer."

"And when was it that you were married to him?" Damon asked. "I bet you've changed a lot since then."

Selina grinned tigerishly. "We were married from 1866-1876, and you're damn right I've changed since then." She cleared her throat. "Did _you_ have any ideas about what we should do to keep me under the Originals' radar since I'm no longer with Stella?" Selina looked sheepish. "You were right when you guessed that outburst was made in the heat of the moment. I just don't like being told what to do anymore. Except by certain people who can do it tactfully, like you; or who I know for sure have my best interests at heart, like you."

When Damon put the brakes on at a stoplight, he put his hand on top of hers. "I did some thinking about this, actually," he said. "What name did you use when you were married to…him?"

"Susanna Lockwood," Selina said immediately.

"Does that give you hints about my plan?" Damon asked.

"This has something to do with Tyler, right? Is he involved? Or will he be?" Selina answered.

"Hopefully, I can get him to agree with what I have in mind," Damon said as the light turned green again and he started up the car.

"And just what _do_ you have in mind?" Selina asked suspiciously. "I won't be getting married again, will I?" When he said nothing but continued to look at her insinuatingly, her eyes widened. "My god, you aren't seriously suggesting that I protect myself from the Originals by marrying Tyler?"

"It wouldn't be for real," Damon said quickly. "We could run you two to Atlantic City and as long as nothing nutty happens in the interim, we could get the thing annulled once all the craziness passes."

"Look," Selina told him. "I understand the _logic_ behind the plan. It's like some Vampire Protection Program; change my name, send me to live somewhere else; but why do I have to marry _Tyler_? You hate him! The whole reason why you've held that grudge against Michael all these years is because he wanted to marry me. This is practically the same thing!" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you certain you haven't talked to Tyler about this yet? Or that this plan was your idea to begin with and not his?"

"No on all accounts," Damon told her. "Tyler's the perfect person to use. I mean, yeah I don't like that he's the only option we have for this little venture, but you've already told him about the deal with the Originals, haven't you?"

Selina nodded. "Yeah, I have."

"Right," Damon nodded. "So he already knows. And even if I _did_ hate him completely at one point, ever since Katherine stabbed you with the knife and almost killed you, I've developed a reluctant respect for him."

"And you hate Tommy more at this point," Selina finished.

"Exactly," Damon nodded. "I definitely hate Tommy more." They drove into town and went straight to the Lockwood Mansion.

"Hi," Damon said when Tyler opened the door in response to Tyler's knock. "Can we come in? I have a proposition for you."

"Sure," Tyler said, leading them to the living room. "Do you three need to talk?" Asked Caroline, who was sitting on the sofa; "should I leave?"

"No," Tyler shook his head. "You can stay."

"So," Damon said, once they were all seated. He had his hands on his knees and was looking Tyler straight in the eye. "How would you feel about getting married?"


	16. Goodbye to You

"You aren't serious," Caroline said immediately. She looked at Selina. "Is he serious?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "He means it, all right."

"Wait," Tyler stood up. "What's going on? Is this really necessary?"

Damon looked at Selina. "I thought you said you told him everything."

"I don't remember," Selina replied. "So it probably wouldn't hurt to explain it again." She cleared her throat and looked at Tyler. "You might want to sit down," she told him. "This could take awhile." He sat.

Selina breathed in sharply. "Where should I start? I got it: Katherine's not really my sister, all right? She's actually five-hundred years old. She became interested in our family shortly after my birth because she suspected that I might be the end result of something she did shortly after she helped her friend Stella get kidnapped."

"Wait," Tyler said. "Does this have anything to do with that necklace she and Mason tried so hard to get?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "The Stella that got kidnapped was the same Stella that owned the necklace. Anyway, when Stella got kidnapped, she left behind a son and a daughter. The daughter, Andria, eventually married an English nobleman with the last name of Warren. Shortly after Andria's marriage, _she_ was kidnapped by a magician who put a spell on her so that her family line would produce something called a doppelganger. This was Katherine's idea because she didn't want the Originals, who are the oldest, most powerful vampires in the history of time, to come after her, catch her, and then sacrifice her to end the vampire curse. After Andria was captured, Katherine became a vampire herself, thus unable to be part of the sacrificing ritual, but her family line still kept producing dopplegangers. So that's why we have Elena and we have me; both of us are dopplegangers, and either one of us could be sacrificed to end the vampire curse. But the thing is, neither of us really wants to die, so we have people who are willing to protect us."

"And your brilliant plan is to have to have her marry me?" Tyler asked, looking at Damon. "Why me?"

"Well," Damon cleared his throat. "She can't stay with me, because Stefan and Elena are going out and she stays over all the time. Having two dopplegangers in the same house would make it much too easy for the Originals. There _was_ another option; Stella had a safe house bought for her and a bunch of other people so they can stay here and keep watch."

"What's wrong with that?" Caroline asked.

"One of the people who are of the watch is my ex-husband, and Damon likes the thought of me spending time with him as much as he likes the idea of Michael and me marrying." Selina said dryly.

"So you can see why that plan won't work out," Damon finished for her. "But you," he said, looking at Tyler. "You are a good option. I trust you, and thanks to that spell that Emily put on you, I know you like her."

"It's not just because of the spell that I like her," Tyler said quietly. "When she was stuck here, we got on quite nicely."

"What spell?" Caroline asked.

Tyler turned slightly. "Great-grandfather Michael was very concerned about the type of person Selina married, so he got Emily Bennett to put a spell on his descendents. The result of the spell is that one man from every generation of Lockwoods after Great-Grandfather Michael falls in love with Selina, and this time around, it's me."

"Seriously?" Caroline asked. Tyler nodded. Caroline looked at Selina. "Did you do anything to encourage any of this?"

Selina shook her head. "No, actually; it was all news to me when Mason brought it up. He was the lucky victim for the previous generation, incidentally." She sighed. "It's kind of a bummer; I was going to ask Bonnie if she could remove the spell somehow, but now, thanks to what I did, we can't."

Damon cleared his throat. "Anyway, to continue: Tyler, you like Selina, you'll look out for her in case anything weird happens. We all know that werewolf bites can kill vampires, so if anyone troublesome shows up, you can take care of them. Do you agree to this?"

Tyler was looking uncertain. "I don't know; if you would proposed this even a month ago, I would have been all over it, but now I'm not so sure."

"Why not?" Damon asked in exasperation. "This is a fine time to go against all your natural instincts! The _one time_ I need a Lockwood to give into their magically created passion for my wife and that's when you decide to go noble!"

"Well, it's not just about me," Tyler said in surprise. He looked at Selina. "Do _you_ really want to do this?" He asked.

Selina sat in silence for a moment. "Not really. I like things the way they are. But we really don't have any other choice; I left Stella's in a huff, so there's really no chance of being able to go back _there_, at least not right away."

Tyler watched her for a minute before saying finally, "all right, I'll do it. What happens next?"

"And what am _I_ supposed to do?" Caroline asked. "If Tyler's off somewhere being married to Selina, I obviously can't stay here."

"Come back to the boardinghouse," Damon said simply. "You can stay in Selina's room again; it's not like she'll be using it. Elena will probably like the company."

"All right," Caroline stood up. "Let's go. We _are_ going right now?"

"Sure," Damon said. "We'll all head back to the boardinghouse and make further plans." They left the mansion and piled into Damon's car to get back to the boardinghouse. When they walked into the living room, Stefan did a double-take. "You four are certainly an interesting group," he remarked. "What's the occasion?"

"Selina and Tyler are getting married," Caroline answered. "And I'm going to move in here while they're honeymooning in Atlantic City."

Stefan snorted. "All right, I get it; this morning I was served breakfast in bed by the Easter Bunny, and Santa Claus brought me the morning paper."

"It's not a joke, Stefan." Selina said severely. "Caroline's serious."

"What?" Stefan's eyes widened. "She can't be. Have you completely lost your mind?"

Selina shook her head. "It wasn't my idea. It was Damon's."

Stefan's eyes moved to his brother. "This is a joke, right? Please tell me it's a joke."

Damon just looked at him and said nothing.

"It's the only way, really," Selina said. "At least for now; I left Stella's in a huff and made it clear that I didn't want to come back, so I can't go there. Plus, your brother doesn't want me anywhere near my ex-husband, but that's okay with me because I don't even like him anymore. And it's not like I can stay here, what with Elena spending the night all the time and everything. So I guess your brother figures that the last place the Originals will think to look for me is in Atlantic City, married to a werewolf."

Stefan nodded. "Well, since you put it that way, I guess I understand. It's still weird, but I understand."

"So what do we do now?" Tyler asked. "What's next?"

"You all stay here," Damon said. "I have a few phone calls to make."

* * *

Selina was packing her things when she heard the knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called as she folded a red blouse and stuck it in her suitcase.

"Hey," Elena said, coming to sit on her bed. "Stefan told me what's going on. I'm really sorry about it; I realize it's kind of my fault."

"Don't even think about feeling bad," Selina told her. "This whole doppelganger situation is crazy, and we all have to make some sacrifices to keep ourselves alive, don't we?"

"Yeah, exactly." Elena laughed nervously. "But I mean, marrying your _cousin_? That's really going above and beyond."

Selina gave up on folding the remainder of her clothes and just threw them pell-mell in the suitcase. "It's not so bad," she said. "English aristocrats used to marry their cousins all the time to keep the money in the family. I don't see how this is much different."

"Well," Elena replied, "for one thing, you're already married, and another, you don't even like Tyler that way; you've spent every moment since the two of you met trying to convince him that you're better off just being friends."

"True," Selina said heavily. "But he's improved greatly since we first met. I very much doubt that he'll revert back to the creep he was just because we're spending more time together."

"Can I ask you something?" Elena said suddenly.

"Sure," Selina stopped trying to get the lid on her suitcase to close and looked up. "What is it?"

"Well," Elena avoided Selina's gaze. "If the Originals showed up right now asking for one of us, would you tell them to take me?"

"No, of course not!" Selina said, looking horrified. "It has to be me, that's all there is to it."

"Because of what happened to Andria," Elena said.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "If I'm not the one who's sacrificed, then she will have been tortured for nothing, and I just couldn't live with that, as well as being without the first real friend I've had in over a hundred years."

"Well thanks," Elena said smiling. "That's what I thought."

Just then, the bedroom door opened and Tyler stepped in. "Damon says we're leaving later tonight. Do you think you're ready?"

Selina stood up and nodded. "Yeah, and thanks for doing this by the way. I know it's kind of a weird thing to ask."

"It's all right," Tyler said. "Great-grandfather's probably horribly jealous somewhere."

Selina smiled. "I bet he is." She turned to Elena. "See you around."

Elena nodded. "Take care of yourself." Selina waved goodbye one last time and followed Tyler downstairs. "How long until we leave?" she asked Damon.

"Probably an hour or so," he had the TV remote in hand and was flipping rapidly through the channels without paying any attention to what was on.

Selina gently took the remote away. "If we're leaving in an hour, that's still some time. You want to go upstairs for a little bit?"

Damon's gaze slowly turned away from the television. "Sure," he said quietly. "Our room or yours?"

"Ours," Selina said. "Elena's still in mine."

They headed upstairs. Damon sat down heavily on the bed and Selina sat next to him, putting her arms around him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Damon sighed, taking her face in his hands. "This might not be such a good comparison, but I feel like I believe you must have when I left for the army."

Selina nodded. "I feel like that too. I mean, I know I'm going to come back and all, but it just—it feels exactly the same." She felt herself begin to tear up. She leaned forward and kissed him, clutching him tightly. "I don't really want to go," she whispered.

Damon slowly pulled away. "I know you don't," he said. He leaned his forehead against hers so they were looking each other directly in the eye. "And I don't want you to either. But—"

"But this is how it has to be," Selina finished.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. He got off the bed and held out his hand. "The sooner we leave, the sooner you'll get to come back," he said. "Do you trust me?"

Selina looked at his hand for a moment before taking it. "Yes," she said, boosting herself off the bed. "I trust you. Lead the way." He led her out and back downstairs.

"Everything all right?" Tyler asked.

"It will be," Selina said. She handed Tyler her suitcases and he took them outside while she went to the library to tell Stefan goodbye. "Damon says I'll be back eventually," Selina said, hugging him hard. "Will you be here?"

"Of course," Stefan nodded. "When you get back, we'll go out, just you and me. I know you and I haven't spent a lot of time together since we found each other again, and I want to remedy that."

Selina smiled. "Goodbye, Stefan."

"_Fino a che non veniamo a contatto di ancora_, Selina," he replied.

"What does that mean?" she asked. "I _know _it doesn't mean goodbye."

He smiled. "It means 'until we meet again'."

She nodded and hugged him one last time before she left the room.

As soon as Selina disappeared, Elena entered, her cell phone in hand. "Jenna just called," she said. "I'd better be heading home."

"Be careful out there," Stefan told her. "Would you like me to drive you?"

"No, thanks," she said quickly. "I'll watch out for myself; don't you worry."

Then, she left, leaving him alone again. He sat down at the dusty old game table, tracing the chessboard pattern with one finger before getting up, grabbing a pack of cards, and starting a favorite version of solitaire.

* * *

Instead of going home, Elena drove to Doctor Stensrund's house, where Isobel, Katherine and John were hiding out.

"I got your phone call," she said when Isobel opened the door and ushered her inside. "What do you want?"

"We were just curious if you saw Selina today," Katherine said.

"As a matter of fact, I did." Elena told her. "And I even asked her what she would do if the Originals showed up right now. And, just as I thought, her answer was _not_ 'give you up to them to save my own life'. No, it was 'it has to be me, that's all there is to it'."

"Really?" Katherine asked. "I wonder what made her say that."

"I'm surprised you don't know," Elena told her. "It's because of what you did to Andria; Selina feels that if she's not the one that's sacrificed, then Andria will have been kidnapped and tortured for nothing."

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "Andria. I remember her. She and Selina _do _look remarkably alike."

"So," Elena said, turning to John and Isobel. "You don't have to worry about Selina. She won't throw me to the wolves. She's not despicable."

"But am I correct when I say that since you consider yourself her friend, then you won't just let her give herself up either?" John asked.

"Of course not!" Elena said. "When someone calls you 'the first real friend they've had in over a hundred years,' you have to make that mean something."

Isobel laughed. "She called you the first best friend she's had in over a hundred years? Well, isn't that pathetic?"

"Oh, shut up!" Elena cried. "I don't even know why I came over here."

"You came over here because you know you need us," John told her. "Just because you know that Selina herself is not a danger to you, that doesn't mean her _people_ aren't."

"Especially Stella," Katherine added. "I'll take full responsibility for that one. Maybe you and I should go pay Selina a visit at the hideout tomorrow. It'll be fun to see Stella again."

"If you go to the hideout you won't find Selina there," Elena said. "She and Tyler Lockwood left this evening for Atlantic City and won't be back until this entire mess is done with." Casting her birth parents and Katherine one last disgusted glance, she left the house, got in her car, and drove home.

After she disappeared, Isobel looked at Katherine. "Atlantic City? Can you do something about that?"

"Yeah," Katherine smiled. "Of course I can. I'll make sure there's a welcoming committee for them when they arrive."

* * *

Selina, Damon and Tyler arrived in Atlantic City the next day. "Here we are," Damon said as he handed his car keys to a valet and two porters began grabbing bags out of the trunk.

"Wow," Selina said as she got out of the car. "That was quick."

"You slept the whole way," Tyler told her. "It made things easy." They stepped inside the hotel, admiring the marble floors, the high ceilings hung with crystal chandeliers, and the white and gold fountain in the middle of the lobby. Then, they advanced toward the check-in desk.

"Hi," Damon said, smiling easily at the woman behind the counter. "I made reservations for my two friends here, under Salvatore."

The receptionist eyed them oddly for a moment, then regained her composure. She shuffled through the pile of papers on her desk. "Here we are," she said. "Salvatore, reservations for two. Now, which two?"

"Them," Damon motioned to Tyler and Selina. "They're friends of mine and I wanted this to be a surprise."

"Ahhh, I understand now," she said. She smiled. "The room is ready now if the two of you would like to go up," she told Tyler and Selina. "You have room 3257." She handed them their keys. They told Damon goodbye and headed up.

"I hope they didn't give us the honeymoon suite or something," Selina said. "That would be really awkward."

"I wouldn't think so," Tyler said. "Since we're supposed to be getting married and everything; I think having the honeymoon suite would really add a touch of realism to the situation, don't you think?"

Selina managed to laugh a little. "If this whole thing gets any more real, I'm going to start screaming."

They found the room. Tyler stuck his key in the lock and pulled it out. He opened the door and they both breathed a sigh of relief to find that they weren't in the honeymoon suite after all. Instead, it was a regular two-bedroom suite with large bay windows and a good view of the nearby lake. "We got a good view," Tyler said appreciatively. He opened the little refrigerator near the kitchen. "Not to mention a fully-stocked mini bar."

"Good to know," Selina said as she settled herself on the forest green comforter of one of the beds. "I might need to use that later."

* * *

When Damon was about two hours into his trip back to Mystic Falls, his cell phone rang. He pulled onto the shoulder and answered it. "Hello?"

"Are you still in Atlantic City?" It was Stefan. He sounded worried.

"No," Damon answered. "I left two hours ago. What's the problem?"

"You have to go back and get Tyler and Selina right now. They can't be together tonight."

"I can't go back now," Damon said. "Whatever the problem is, it can't be that bad."

"Actually, it is," Stefan said softly. "I've been watching the news. Tyler and Selina are alone together in Atlantic City, and tonight, there's going to be a full moon."


	17. Womanizer

The room was dark. Ever since her granddaughter's death at the hands of Selina Warren, Sheila hadn't bothered to turn the lights on. She'd meant it when she'd said she was going to avenge Bonnie; she just had to figure out a good way to do it. She stood up from the chair and began pacing around the room. Then, she got an idea. She went down to the basement and began perusing the bookshelves until she found the book she was looking for: Emily's diary. She began leafing through it until the right phrase caught her eye.

"_July 14, 1864_

_Michael Lockwood came to the house with an interesting proposition today. He told me that he'd heard rumors about Selina becoming a vampire, and that he'd spoken with Katherine about becoming one as well so that he and Selina could be together. When I saw him, it was obvious to me that Katherine had granted his wish. When he came to the house, he seemed panicked. I asked him what was wrong and he told me that his father had discovered what he was and that he was determined to do something about it. I could hear the mob coming closer. 'They're coming for me,' Michael said. 'There are too many for me to fight off by myself, and they have weapons on their side that I don't. So I'm going to be locked up and starved like the others.' At this point, he grabbed my wrist in his strong grip. 'Before they take me away Emily,' he said, 'I wonder if you might do me a favor: If Selina _is_ out somewhere, cold and alone, could you make sure that my family keeps an eye on her always? Do you have a spell that could do that?'_

_He looked so sad and desperate that I agreed. Just as the mob was coming to take him away, I ran to the mansion where his wife stayed with their son who had just recently been born. When I asked if I could put a blessing on the boy, Michael's wife was skeptical at first, but when I told her that Michael had asked me to, she relented. I did the spell and it went without any trouble; from this day forward, one male from every generation will seek out Selina and keep her company, just as Michael wished._

_May his tortured soul find peace,_

_Emily."_

"_Michael_," Sheila breathed as she closed the book and put it back where it had been. She knew as well as anyone how much Selina detested her cousin's abnormally strong attachment to her. What could be a better punishment then bringing him back among the living? She could do it; she had the power. Steeling her resolve, she grabbed a large, black spell book and went up to the attic where a full-length mirror stood. Pulling it to the middle of the room, she wiped off the two inches of dust, then pulled the chain connected to a solitary light bulb. A feeble glow of light emanated from the bulb, but luckily, it was enough for her to see by. She picked the spell book up off the floor, and began rapidly flipping through the pages until she found the right spell. She said the words in a clear, strong voice, and then looked into the darkened glass. The reflection appeared very dim, but became clearer the longer she looked. Soon, she found herself face to face with the image of Michael Lockwood. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," she replied. "Would you like to know why I called for you?"

He messed with his cuffs. "I can't say I'm not a little curious. And may I ask who you are?"

"My name is Sheila Bennett," she said quickly. "I believe in your lifetime you were acquainted with my ancestor Emily?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I did know an Emily Bennett. How may I be of service to you?"

"No," Sheila smiled slowly and shook her head. "It's not that _you_ can be of service to _me_. I'd like to do something for you."

His eyes brightened. "Can you bring me back to life?" he asked hopefully. "I have a score I'd like to settle."

Sheila put her hands on her hips. "I can bring you back to life in a sense. You wouldn't have your own body, but you wouldn't be a spirit anymore."

"Why would you do this for me?" Michael asked.

"Well," Sheila took two steps toward the mirror. "You might think me cruel, but I'm doing this for you as a way to settle a score of my own; my granddaughter Bonnie was murdered by your cousin Selina not too long ago in a fit of rage. Selina practically ripped out Bonnie's throat. I swore revenge on her, and everyone in this town knows that the interest you took in Selina's life was a constant source of irritation to her."

Michael heaved a tortured sigh. "Sometimes children just don't know what's best for them," he said. "I tried to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life, but I failed."

"Is that the score you want to settle?" Sheila asked.

Michael nodded. "Of course it is."

"Shut your eyes," she told him. "I'm going to release you." She recited the spell on the next page and Michael's spirit burst forth from the mirror. "Now," Sheila said, "we just need to find you a body."

* * *

"What do you mean there's a full moon tonight?" Damon barked into the phone. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"Because I didn't _know_ earlier!" Stefan shouted back. "Are you going to drive back to the hotel and get them or not?"

"I don't know if there's a point now," Damon said. "We may be too late."

"Of course there's a point," Stefan said. "What about all the people who're going to get killed when the two of them go on a rampage?"

"You don't know that they're going to go on a rampage," Damon said. "Selina could be good and stay in her room and encourage Tyler to as well."

"The only way _that_ would happen is if Selina knew beforehand that there was going to be a full moon tonight, and if she _did_, I think she would have mentioned it. It's going to be a very unpleasant surprise for both of them later on," Stefan told him. "So go and get them right now."

"I don't think I will," Damon said. "Think about it, Stefan: If I go near a werewolf during the full moon and he bites me, I'm dead. And don't think I've forgotten what Selina did to you in the cemetery when she found out we were lying about Emily Bennett's grimoire. She smacked you so hard you were out cold for more than a day. I think I'll just cut my losses, let the chips fall where they may, and we can experience the rampage vicariously by watching it unfold on television from the safety of our own house."

"You're unbelievable," Stefan told him.

"I know," Damon said. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

* * *

"You know," Selina sat up. "Suddenly, I'm beginning to feel better about this whole thing; aren't you? I mean, since we've firmly established that we're going to stay solely platonic during this whole thing, rather than making things all complicated by sleeping with each other."

Tyler nodded. "I agree. I'm going to go down to the vending machine; do you want me to pick you up something?"

"Coke, please," Selina told him.

He nodded. "Coming right up." He left the room and walked down the hall to the alcove where the vending machines were. He got Selina's Coke and a Mountain Dew from the other machine and started to head back to the room when he felt a sudden cold breeze that made him shiver.

Shrugging it off, he continued on his way until he came across a random bathroom. Feeling a sudden urge to go inside, he put the drinks in one hand and opened the door with the other. Everything seemed normal, but as he washed his hands, he noticed something strange. As he looked at himself in the mirror, his reflection changed slightly. For a moment, he wasn't looking at himself, but at someone else. Great-grandfather Michael. His father always said that the two of them looked a lot alike. As soon as Michael's reflection disappeared, Tyler felt the cold breeze again, and then cried out as he felt himself be roughly shoved forward, and then fall heavily onto the floor. A minute later, it was all over. The tension he'd felt not seconds before disappeared, and he stood up, panting. His reflection in the mirror caught his eye. It seemed different somehow; more like Michael's then his. He smiled slowly, nodding. "I'm alive," he whispered. Then, he grabbed the drinks and headed back to the room.

When Michael opened the door, he expected to see Selina. He knew she was here. He didn't know how he knew that, but he did. "Hello?" he said cautiously. "I'm back. I have liquid. It's strange liquid, but can I assume you'd like it?" Just then, Selina appeared.

"What kept you?" She asked. Her voice was much lighter than usual, and she smiled as she approached him, which was _not_ something he was used to. "I was beginning to worry that you weren't coming back."

"I'm sorry," he said. "I got lost."

She giggled. "No matter. Anyway," she let him go and ran over to the bed, hopping on and bouncing twice. "Do you wanna come and join me?"

He smiled. "Dearest, I would love to. But don't you think there's something we should _do _first, before we do that?"

She looked at him oddly for a moment, and then comprehension dawned. "You know you're right," she said. She got off the bed and came over to put her arms around him. "Did you know," she asked in a breathy voice, "that in one of the original versions of 'Little Red Riding Hood,' Red does a striptease for the wolf before she hops in bed with him? I could act it out for you…if you want."

He smiled in spite of himself. She'd probably been drinking, but he wasn't going to complain. "That sounds intriguing, and I won't deny you the opportunity later, but I was speaking of us getting _married_ before I get into bed with you. It's only proper."

"Oh, all right," she pouted and backed away from him. "But let's make it quick; I'm not going to wait forever."

* * *

Just as she'd requested, the ceremony was short, and they made it back to the room in record time. He felt a thrill as he watched her undress; his wife had never done anything like this for him. Everything was going well, until he began to feel strange. "Darling," he said as she planted kisses on his neck, "I feel strange."

She pulled back. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Does your stomach hurt?"

He shook his head. "No, I—"suddenly, he became racked with pain. "Help me," he gritted his teeth. "It hurts."

"Hang on," she got off the bed and ran to the bathroom. "I'll make it better." She began rifling around in the cabinets for something useful, but found nothing. By the time she got back to the room, it was too late. She let out a scream as the wolf bounded off the bed and came toward her. She thought he was going to bite, but he just stared up at her and leaned against her leg. "You seem nice," she said petting him. "Do you want to go outside? Let's go outside. There's a lovely moon out tonight."

He followed her eagerly and the two of them made their way out into the night. "What do you want to do?" She asked him. He looked up at her for a moment then took off. She started to run after him when she felt her stomach growl. "I wonder where I can get a bite to eat around here?" she said to herself. She began walking until she stumbled onto a small dive with a neon sign that was on the fritz. She headed inside and took a seat at the bar. "Could I have a strawberry margarita?" she asked the bartender. "Can I see your ID?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"You don't need to see my ID," she said, catching his eye. "I'm good for it."

"All right," he said. "One margarita, coming right up." Selina watched him go and then spun her bar stool around three times. Once she was facing the bar again, she heard a voice behind her. "Hi, Beautiful," it said. "What's your sign?" She turned and got a good look at the man who was speaking. He was tan, lean and nicely muscled. His eyes were clear blue, and nearly obscured by a curtain of light blond hair. Selina looked him over. He seemed acceptable. "Scorpio," she replied. "What's yours?"

He smiled. He had very white teeth. "Taurus," he said. "And that's no bull." She giggled. "You're funny."

"Thank you," he told her. "I'm rich too, you know. My father made me the VP of his oil conglomerate, but I don't like to brag."

Selina's smile widened. "I like rich men."

He leaned in. "Do you want to come back to my house? I'll show you my bed. It's the most expensive one ever built. Made of solid gold."

"Sounds lovely," she breathed. Just then, the bartender put her drink down. "I'll take care of this," her companion told her. He paid and watched her drink it. Then, he helped her off the stool. "You want to go and eat before we head to my house?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I want to have fun now. I'll eat later."

He led her to his limousine and ordered the driver to take them home. The mansion was large, much bigger than any she'd been in before. He led her upstairs and she saw to her delight that he hadn't been lying about his bed. "It's beautiful," she told him.

He nodded. "And functional." He leaned in to kiss her and the two of them began peeling off each other's clothes before backing into the bed, breathing heavily. Then, the moonlight hit Selina. Hissing, she drove her fangs into his neck. Then, as he screamed, she drove her nails into his chest and ripped out his heart. She held it up as the blood dripped down her hand and arm. Then, she threw it on the floor and began to stomp on it. Once it was a bloody mess on the carpet, she looked up at the man's body. She walked over to him and kissed his cold lips. "For all the women you've loved before," she said. Then, she went downstairs, located the secret vault and emptied it of all its cash and hid the bag in the closet before heading upstairs, crawling back into the bed, and falling asleep.

* * *

When Selina woke up the next morning, she looked around the room and screamed. Every surface was spattered with blood, including a large, ugly stain on the carpet that would probably never come out. Then, she turned and saw the body. "Oh, my God," she whispered. Had she done that? She probably had. But how come she didn't remember it? She began to bite her nails. It had probably been a full moon last night. Why did Damon let her go out during a full moon? He knew what happened. She gasped. And where was Tyler? Slowly, keeping her gaze away from the man's horribly mangled body, she got out of bed, put on a robe, and began running around the house looking for a phone. Wherever she was, they probably had one. Or several, from the looks of things.

"Can I help you, Miss?" asked an older man in a suit. He gasped at the sight of her. "What's happened?" he cried. "You're covered in blood! Has something happened to the master?"

"Someone broke in last night," she managed to get out. "They must have killed him then. Check the vault. Maybe they took money too."

The man, Selina assumed he was the butler, nodded and scampered away. Moments later, he came back, clutching a phone. "Hello, Emergency? Yes, I'd like to report a robbery at the home of Christian Blake. And be sure to bring medics. The robbers murdered him as well." After the butler ended the call and handed the phone to another man in a suit, he turned back to Selina. "Are _you_ all right, Miss?" He asked. "Did the robber hurt you?"

She shook her head. "No, this blood is all Mr. Blake's." She looked down at herself, and then back up at the butler. "I'm going to go upstairs and get dressed," she told him. "And then I'd like to go home, if you don't mind."

He nodded. "Of course, Miss. You go get dressed, and then after the police arrive and take your statement, I'll get Roberts to take you wherever you need to go."

"Do I really need to talk to the police?" She asked.

He nodded. "I think so, since you were the last one to see the master alive."

Sighing, she headed upstairs. Steeling herself, she re-entered the bedroom. Christian Blake's body was still there. Averting her eyes, she dressed and then headed back downstairs. Once she reached the bottom of the staircase, she saw that the police had already arrived and they began to pepper her with questions. She answered to the best of her ability, and then she grabbed the bag of money from the closet, got in a limousine and asked the driver to take her back to the hotel.

* * *

"So what's the damage?" Stefan asked as when he got downstairs. "How many people got killed last night?"

"In terms of quantity, Selina was relatively restrained." Damon told him. "She only got one guy. And you wouldn't even guess it was a vampire attack from the way she did it."

"What did she do?" Stefan asked.

"Ripped his heart out," Damon replied. "And from the looks of the room, she stomped into the carpet after she pulled it out."

"What's the other part of it?" Stefan asked.

"Other part of what?"

"You said that 'in terms of quantity, Selina was relatively restrained'. Did she kill someone of good quality?"

"Yes," Damon nodded. "Take a look at that headline."

Stefan focused on the television. Blazoned across the screen in bold black letters were the words **Christian Blake Murdered! Money is Motive.**

"Christian Blake?" Stefan frowned. "Who's he?"

"His father owns lots of oil wells," Caroline said, coming up behind them. "Christian's like a male Paris Hilton; famous for being a magnate's son and not having to do a thing to earn a living other than getting arrested every week. He's also a notorious womanizer. Selina must have been his next victim."

"Selina murdered a tabloid staple?" Damon asked. "This is just dandy."

"Shhhh!" Caroline said. "Look, it's Selina's picture! Maybe they're going to interview her about this or something. I can't wait to hear what she has to say."

* * *

"Are you all right?" Michael asked when he opened the door and Selina strode in.

"No," she snapped. "I'm most certainly _not_ all right. I killed someone last night! And he's famous, and when I woke up this morning, there was blood everywhere, and I have to do a press conference about what I witnessed in an hour!" Bursting into tears, she collapsed on the bed.

Michael put his arms around her. "Don't worry," he said. "Everything's going to be all right, I promise; nothing bad is going to happen to you."

As soon as she'd left with one of the hotel managers, another came with a note for him. "Some people downstairs to see you, Mr. Lockwood," he said. "They're most insistent."

"I'll see them," Michael said. "Where are they?"

"In the main dining room," the manager said. "They told me that they'd come to you."

Michael headed down to the dining room, and just as he entered, two people approached him. "Hi," the woman said, smiling a little and taking his hand. "You must be Tyler. I'm Jules and this is Brady," she gestured at her companion. "We knew your uncle Mason and we've been _very _anxious to meet you."


	18. Trouble

As Caroline watched Selina flinch from the flashes of the news cameras, she asked Stefan "is this a common occurrence?"

"Is what a common occurrence?" Stefan replied. "Selina giving news conferences? No."

Caroline shook her head. "I mean Selina killing people. She seems so sedate most of the time."

"Actually, it had to do with the full moon," Damon said. "It makes her nutty because of her Lockwood blood and all."

"That's right!" Caroline's eyes widened. "How is it that I always forget Amelia Warren was a Lockwood before she got married?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know. But what happened last night is _nothing_ compared to what's happened during some of Selina's past full moon romps when we haven't watched her closely enough. Normally we keep her inside and lock her bedroom door, but sometimes she gets loose and things happen."

"What kind of things?" Caroline asked curiously. "What's happened in the past?"

"Nothing," Stefan said quickly. "Nothing bad at all. Last time, some random hikers just got unlucky, that's all. Damon, can I see you in the kitchen?"

"What's going on?" Damon asked. "Why can't I tell her what happened?"

"Because," Stefan said tightly, "we're talking to _Caroline_ here, and there are certain things about Selina's past moonlit romps that she shouldn't know; or have you forgotten how you had to kill her mother because Sheriff Forbes had Selina chained up in the basement of the police station and was going to kill her after the deaths of the prostitute, the campers, and the injuring of Jeremy Gilbert?"

Damon sighed. "I really don't see the problem with telling Caroline that," he said. "It's not like_ Selina_ killed Liz. She was Liz's _victim_. Caroline was lied to about her mother's death. You're the one who's so big on honesty; why do you want to keep living the lie now?"

"Because," Stefan gritted his teeth. "It's just not very nice. Would _you_ want someone to tell you that they murdered your mother in cold blood?"

"It was _not_ in cold blood," Damon snapped. "Liz was going to stake her. Excuse me for wanting to keep my fiancée alive!"

"What's going on?" Caroline asked, coming into the kitchen. "What are you two talking about?"

Damon turned to face her. "What were you told about your mother's death?" he asked.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Not much," she said quietly. "The few officers who made it out alive said that an unstable man with a gun broke into the police station and opened fire on everyone."

"Did they say anything else?" Damon asked.

"No," Caroline shook her head. "Why? Do you know something that they don't?"

"Not exactly," Damon said. "They knew everything the whole time. I just influenced them to forget a lot of it before I left."

"What do you mean?" Caroline's voice shook.

"Come back into the living room," Stefan said, putting his hand on Caroline's shoulder. "Damon has some things to tell you about your mother's death."

They followed her into the living room and snapped off the television. "So," Caroline said to Damon, "tell me what you know."

"All right," Damon nodded. "You remember when Elena's brother was attacked, right?"

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "Elena called me; she was freaking out so bad. She said that she and Jenna had come home to find Jeremy practically naked, unconscious, and covered in blood. If they'd arrived home a few minutes later, he probably would have bled to death."

"But there was no sign of Jeremy's attacker?"

Caroline shook her head. "No. They looked and looked, but didn't find anybody."

"All right," Damon stood up and began to pace. "The next day, after young Mr. Gilbert had stabilized, your mother stopped by the hospital to talk to him about the attack. Jeremy told her that Selina was a vampire and had attacked and raped him before leaving him for dead. Later in the day, Jeremy's nurse, a young woman named Lucy, stopped by the police station to tell your mother that Selina was also responsible for the murders of a prostitute and five campers that had occurred on the same night as Jeremy's attack.

"It was then that your mother decided that the best thing to do would be to take Selina down; to kill her so that she would no longer be a danger to the people of Mystic Falls."

"But wait, Jeremy was attacked during a full moon," Caroline said. "If Selina was out and about during a full moon, she probably had no idea what she was doing. Why would Mom bust her for that?" Caroline asked.

"It was because of Lucy," Stefan said. "Lucy was a vampire herself and probably compelled your mother to believe everything she said."

"Anyway," Damon cleared his throat. "Your mother and her deputies came for Selina that night. She got Selina out of the house by telling her that she had news about the identification of Amelia Warren's body. Selina believed her and left the house. Once she was outside, the deputies shot her full of vervain and knocked her out, tying her up and throwing her in the backseat of the police car. Once they got Selina to the police station, they took her down to the basement, removed her clothes, chained her to a wall, and whipped and beat her until she could hardly move at all. Then, Liz encountered a problem: She wanted to kill Selina, but couldn't; as a member of a Founding family and the Founders' Council, she was bound by a promise that Michael Lockwood had forced all the Founders to make 145 years ago: he made them promise to keep Selina safe and let no harm come to her as long as she walked this earth. So your mother couldn't kill her; what to do then?"

"What _did_ she do?" Caroline asked, riveted.

"She called me," Damon said. "Stefan and I had gone out that night, and when we came back, Selina was nowhere to be found, but there _was _a message on our answering machine. It was your mother telling me that they'd found the vampire responsible for all the deaths in town, and would I mind coming down to the police station and disposing of her because Liz was unable to."

"My mother asked you to _kill_ Selina?" Caroline asked, stunned. "You didn't go, did you?"

"I had to," Damon said. "If I hadn't gone, she might have begun to suspect the truth about _me_ as well. So Stefan and I went. I told him to wait outside and drive away as soon as I got Selina out. When I reached the basement, I saw the most terrible thing I'm probably ever going to see: Selina, chained up, horribly bruised and beaten. Then, your mother handed me a stake and told me to put her out of her misery. I didn't do it. Then, your mother yelled at me; she thought Selina was using compulsion on me to save her own life, but Selina was so beat up by that point that I doubt she could have done much with her powers at all. I confessed to your mother that I was a vampire, then stole one of the deputies' guns and told your mother that if she let Selina go, I wouldn't hurt anyone. But one of the other deputies shot at me, and that evolved into a full-scale shootout between me and the entire police force. Then, your mother put her gun down, grabbed the stake I'd dropped, and put it up next to Selina's throat: 'If you don't do it,' she told me, 'then I will.' There was only one thing left for me to do: I fired my pistol and hit Liz twice: once in the arm and once in the heart. Then, she crumpled, dead before she hit the ground."

"You killed my mother," Caroline said.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "But I had to. She would've killed Selina if I hadn't. And everyone has a right to fight for their loved ones."

"Are you all right?" Stefan asked.

Caroline looked at Damon for a long moment. "I don't know," she said at last.

* * *

"Are you all right, Mrs. Lockwood?" the hotel manager who'd brought her to the press conference asked her nervously as he escorted her out. "Can I get you anything?"

"Don't call me Mrs. Lockwood!" Selina snapped. "_No_ _one_ is allowed to call me that. My name is Sophia Warren. Mrs. Lockwood is Tyler's mom, Carol."

"I'm sorry, Miss." The manager said calmly. "In any case, your husband is in the dining room having lunch with some people. Would you like me to bring you to him?"

"Who's he eating with?" Selina asked.

The manager shrugged. "I really don't know. They said they were friends of his uncle who lived in Florida."

Selina turned. "Take me," she ordered. "I want to have a look at these people for myself."

The manager nodded. "As you wish, Miss. Come with me."

Selina followed him to the dining room. He talked with the seating host who told them that Mr. Lockwood and his companions were seated in a private room near the back of the restaurant. The manager nodded and continued walking. When they reached the room, he knocked. A second later, Tyler opened the door. "Selina!" he said jovially. "Come in! How was the press conference? Have a seat!" He ushered her in and she sat down in the chair he pulled out for her. Once she'd straightened her skirt and put her napkin in her lap, she looked up and noticed the other people in the room. "Hello," she said. "I'm Selina. Sorry I'm late, but I was busy with a press conference." The intent way they were staring at her made her uneasy.

"Selina," Michael said after a moment. "These two are Jules and Brady. They say they know a lot about me, but I'm not quite certain how."

Selina frowned. "What do you mean 'you aren't quite certain how'? They knew Mason in Florida!"

"Yes," Michael nodded slowly. "And just who is that?"

Selina took her napkin off her lap and gave Jules and Brady an apologetic glance. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" She asked. "There seems to be something wrong with Tyler. But we'll go sort it out and be back in a jiff." With that, she stood up hauled Michael up by the arm and dragged him out of the room and into a small alcove nearby. "What in the world is going on with you?" She asked angrily.

"Nothing," he said. "Now Selina, would you tell me who this Mason person is that they keep talking about?"

"You don't know who Mason is," Selina said flatly. "You don't know that he's your father's younger brother; your uncle; the man who left Mystic Falls to go surf in Florida and ended up making buddies with a group of werewolves after he triggered the curse in himself?"

"He _did_?" Michael asked, looking intrigued. "You know, my brother George did that and he didn't seem to find it all that pleasant."

"Your brother George?" Selina frowned. "Tyler, you don't _have_ a brother named George. Your grandfather Michael had a brother named George who was actually on semi-good terms with Damon until Damon quit the war, but you're an only child. Are you _sure_ there's not anything wrong with you?"

"Of course not, my dear," Michael said easily. "Now we should probably get back to our guests. It's rude to keep people waiting for long periods of time."

Selina opened her mouth to argue, but then decided against it. There was _clearly_ something wrong with Tyler, but in public was not the best place to get to the bottom of it.

"Sorry," she said when they got back to the room and reseated themselves.

"No problem," Jules replied. She looked at Michael. "Brady and I were just talking about what a good couple the two of you are."

"Really?" Michael smiled. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Brady said, glaring at Selina. "It's not often that werewolf-vampire couples last in the long run."

"What?" Selina burst out laughing. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't try to deny it," Jules told Selina. "We know you're a vampire." She looked at Michael approvingly. "Good job bringing her in. She'll be a good first kill."

"_What_?" Selina asked, looking shocked. "What did I do?"

"We know that Mason Lockwood was killed by a vampire," Jules said, leaning forward. "And we're going to kill every vampire in Mystic Falls until we figure out who did it."

"Or _even_ once we figure out who did it," Brady added. "Either way, it gets the vampires out of our hair for good."

"You'll be sorry if you kill me," Selina said. "Very sorry."

"I doubt it," Jules said. "The only good vampire is a _dead _vampire."

"Even if that vampire has a werewolf gene?" Michael asked wincing as Selina kicked him in the shin.

"What do you mean?" Jules asked.

"Selina's my cousin," Michael told her. "Her mother Amelia is my father's younger sister."

"So you have Lockwood blood," Jules was looking at Selina with interest.

"Yes," Selina said slowly. "Does that mean you aren't going to kill me?"

"For now, yes." Jules nodded. "We might have some use for you later on."

Selina caught Michael's eye. "I'm not feeling well," she said suddenly. "Would it be all right if I went back to the room?"

"Of course," Michael nodded. "You've had quite a day, haven't you? You go back up to the room and rest. I'll tell them about everything that happened to me last night."

"Did you kill anyone?" Selina asked.

"A few people," Michael said. "But no one as important as Christian Blake."

* * *

Selina headed back to the room. Once inside, she shut the door behind and headed into the bathroom. She turned on the sink and splashed cold water onto her face. "Are you all right?" a voice asked. "You seem upset."

Gasping, she looked up at the mirror and saw Tyler's reflection next to her own. "What's going on?" She asked, turning to face him. "How are you here and downstairs at the same time? And why are you acting so weird?"

"It's not me that's downstairs," he said. "Give me your hand." She gave him her hand and when he took it, she felt cold, cold as ice, and a slight tingle. "What's happened to you?" She asked.

"I really don't know," he said honestly. "I went to get drinks and then made a trip to the bathroom near the vending machines. While I was in there, the weirdest thing happened: this cold breeze blew in, and then I got shoved against the sink, fell on the floor, and next thing I know, I've been thrown out of my own body because someone else wants to take residence."

Selina gasped. "Well that explains a hell of a lot," she said. "_Michael_ is the one who took over your body. That's why he didn't know who Mason was, or why he talked at length about his brother George and kept calling me 'dearest' and 'darling'. I thought you were just losing your mind."

"Wait," Tyler said. "Great-Grandfather Michael threw me out of my own body? Why would he want to do that?"

"I don't know," Selina shrugged. "But I don't have a good feeling about it."

"Is that why you were so upset when you came in?" He asked.

"No," Selina shook her head. "We are in _big_ trouble," she told him. "Apparently Mason's werewolf friends from Florida found out that he's dead and are plotting to rid Mystic Falls of its entire vampire population until they find out who killed him."

"But _you_ killed Mason," Tyler said. "The second time you became a vampire."

"Yeah," Selina said. "Now do you understand why I'm freaked out? And that's only half of it. Michael let it slip about my being a vampire with the werewolf gene. That means I get spared when the killing starts, but one of the wolves said that they might have 'use for me' later on. Do you think they know that a bite turns me human?" she asked.

"Did Michael _tell _them that?" Tyler asked.

"No," Selina shook her head. "God, I'm scared."

"I'll go find Uncle Jacob and Aunt Amelia," Tyler said. "They might be able to keep an eye on the wolves and stop anything bad before it starts. Don't let it slip to Michael that you suspect anything. Just let things go on as they have been and I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I have a reputation to protect, after all."

"Thanks," Selina told him. "I feel a lot better." Once he was gone, Selina pulled out her phone and dialed Stefan. "Something's come up," she said. "Would you come get Tyler and me and bring us back? I'll explain everything when you get here."

Stefan arrived with Caroline in a matter of hours. "You clearly broke some speeding laws," Selina said appreciatively when she opened the door at his knock. "Thanks for getting here so quickly."

"Of course," Stefan said as he and Caroline entered the room and took a seat on the bed. "You sounded worried on the phone."

"Is this about Christian Blake?" Caroline asked eagerly. "Are you afraid the cops are going to come after you so you want to go into witness protection?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "For now, I have much bigger problems than Christian Blake." Just then, there was a sharp rap on the door. "And there's one of them now." A moment later, Michael entered the room. "Hello, Stefan." He said. Then, he looked at Caroline. "And hello to you," he said to her. "I don't believe we've met."

Caroline laughed. "What are you talking about, Tyler?" she asked. "We've known each other our whole lives."

Selina cleared her throat. "Would the two of you come out into the hall with me?" She asked.

After assuring Michael he could stay put, Selina led Stefan and Caroline out into the hallway. "What's going on?" Caroline asked quietly. "Something is clearly wrong with Tyler.

"That's not Tyler," Selina said. "That's my cousin Michael's spirit making use of Tyler's body."

"Why would your cousin Michael want to take over Tyler's body?" Caroline asked.

Selina shook her head. "I have no idea."

"I might," Stefan said. "When Elena and I were at the hospital after Bonnie died, we ran into her grandmother Sheila who wasn't very happy with you, to say the least."

"How not-happy was she?" Selina asked.

"She swore revenge," Stefan replied. "But I said that if she hurt you, I would make her sorry, so making you extremely irritated by giving Michael's spirit physical form was probably the next best thing."

"So where's Tyler's spirit?" Caroline asked. "Is it here right now?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Tyler is currently searching for my mother and Uncle Jacob so they can take care of the _second_ problem we have to deal with."

"And what's that?" Stefan asked.

Selina sighed and collapsed on the bed. "Remember how the second time I became a vampire, I killed Mason?"

"Yes," Stefan nodded. "What about it?"

"Well," Selina sat up. "Apparently, his fellow werewolves down in Florida found out that he'd been killed by a vampire (though not specifically by me), and some of them have come to make the entire vampire population of Mystic Falls pay until they find out who Mason's killer actually is. You see the problems we're dealing with? I just want to take Michael and get the hell out of here."

"And all this isn't taking into account what Damon's going to say when he finds out Michael has human form again," Stefan said.

"Goody," Selina said sarcastically as she followed Stefan and Caroline back into the hotel room. "The list of fun things I have to look forward to just keeps getting longer and longer."


	19. Out From Under

After they finished lunch, Jules and Brady left the hotel. "I can't believe how easy that was," Jules said. "With the way Mason talked about his feelings for her, and how Tyler supposedly had them as well, I would have thought that getting Tyler to confess about Selina having the werewolf gene would have been a lot more difficult."

"It doesn't matter how easy it was," Brady said. "The point is that we now know for sure that Selina is the girl Mason was talking about when he mentioned that there was a girl in his family from way back when who'd been turned into a vampire, but still had the werewolf gene."

"If you think about it, it's pretty obvious. I mean her name is _Selina_, for crying out loud," Jules said. "Her mother was really subtle about naming her. "

"What does that have to do with anything?" Brady snapped.

"Selene was the personification and goddess of the moon in classical mythology," Jules said. "I read up on it once. It's clear that Selina was meant to be a werewolf and not a vampire. We could help her remedy that."

"It's not just that we could," Brady said. "We have to. I thought for sure things were going to fall apart when you told her we were going to kill her right in front of her."

"I told you before we left that you had to trust me," Jules said. "Did you think I was going to screw this up? I knew that once I mentioned that we might kill her, Tyler would get so freaked out that he would blurt exactly what we needed to know."

"So what are we doing next?" Brady asked. "Do we go and get her now?"

Jules shook her head. "No, not now; we need time to make a more concrete plan. The next full moon is in a month. We'll do it then."

Brady smiled. "I can't wait to see what she can do for us," he said. "Did you _see_ what that guy and his room looked like after she was through with him?"

"I did," Jules nodded. "Now just imagine that same power used against all the vampires in the world, and we'll be sitting pretty."

* * *

"Where are we going?" Michael asked from the backseat where he was sitting next to Caroline.

"We're going back to Mystic Falls," Stefan said. "I'm going to drop you off at your house and Caroline's going to stay with you."

"Oh," Michael nodded and then he looked at Caroline and grinned. "That's fine with me."

"I can't wait to get back," Selina said. "Even though I was only gone for a day, I _want_ to see your brother. Do you think he's got a big surprise planned for when we get to the boardinghouse? Probably not. Did you tell him that you were going to get me?"

"I did," Stefan nodded. "But he was busy with something else when I left, so I'm not quite sure he was paying attention. Now, I saw a sign for a rest stop in a couple of miles. I'm going to park the car there so I can give him a call and let him know we're getting close to home."

"Sounds good to me," Selina said. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of the rest stop and took out his phone, dialing quickly. He could hear it ring, and just hoped that Damon would pick up. If he didn't, he was going to be very sorry.

* * *

The cell phone sat on the counter next to the bathroom sink. When it began ringing, Damon wasn't in the best position to answer it. "Aren't you going to get that?" Asked the woman who was in the bath with him. He leaned forward, preparing to get out, but then caught her eye and thought better of it. "No," he said, leaning back against the tub. "It's probably just my brother, and what he has to say can wait."

She smiled. "Sounds good to me." As she put her arms around him, he sank his teeth into her neck. She let out a whimper, but he held her firm until he was finished drinking and then pushed her away. He hadn't done anything like this since he'd seen Selina again. But she was gone in Atlantic City, and he had to take advantage of the opportunity; If his plan worked as well as he hoped, he could have his time with Andie and when Selina got back, she would be none the wiser.

"Are you okay?" Andie asked. She was a news reporter who was a friend of Elena's aunt Jenna. "You seem distracted."

"I'm not distracted," he said, turning back to her. "I was just wondering why the phone's been ringing for so long."

"Maybe you should get out and answer it," Andie suggested. But just at that moment, the ringing stopped. "Well it's too late now," Damon said with satisfaction. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

"Did he pick up?" Selina asked.

"No," Stefan shook his head. "And we're too close to Mystic Falls for me to try again."

"It doesn't matter," Selina said soothingly. "I'll just see him when we get there. I'm not so clingy that I need to talk to him every second."

Stefan sighed. "All right," he said, and started the car up again. "Is something wrong?" Selina asked. "Should _I _call him? I have my phone."

Stefan shook his head. "No, if he won't answer me, he most _definitely_ won't answer you."

"What do you mean?" Selina asked, frowning. "Stefan, is something going on?"

Stefan sighed and kept his eyes on the road. "After you left, Damon and Alaric went to a bar with Jenna. One of Jenna's friends, Andie Star was there and she and Damon 'hit it off.'

"Meaning Damon took a liking to her and is now compelling her and using her as a chew toy?" Selina asked.

Stefan nodded. "Basically. It's his way of coping when you're not around."

Selina shook her head. "He hasn't learned anything, has he?" she asked. "If he's not careful, Andie's just going to be another in his long line of problems."

"Wait," Michael leaned forward and put a hand on Selina's shoulder. "Are you saying that he's _cheating_ on Selina?" he asked Stefan. "I don't know why I'm surprised. Old habits die hard."

"Oh, shut up, Michael!" Selina snapped. "You don't have any idea what the hell you're talking about. What happened with Katherine was not entirely his fault and don't try to act all innocent either; you were part of that!"

"I was not!" Michael snapped back.

Selina turned. "You were too!" She cried. "You were aware of the fact that Katherine was going to be messing with Damon's mind and then used that to your own advantage!"

"Well so what if I did?" Michael answered. "I was trying to stop you from making the biggest mistake of your life; but you didn't listen to me, and now look how miserable you are?"

"I'm not miserable because of Damon," Selina said tersely. "I'm miserable because you're being a huge pain in the ass."

Michael's eyes narrowed. "Language, young lady," he said softly.

"Whatever," Selina scoffed. "You aren't my mother, okay? I don't have to listen to anything you say."

"If your mother were here right now, I don't think she'd approve of the way you're acting," Michael told her.

"But she's _not_ here," Selina said. "So just lay off."

"Okay," Stefan said. "Enough, you two." After that, everyone in the car lapsed into silence; not another word was said until they reached Mystic Falls. When Stefan pulled into the Lockwood driveway, Michael got out of the car, and after taking Caroline by the hand, stalked away up the drive and toward the front door.

"He's a real piece of work, isn't he?" Selina asked as she watched Michael get inside.

"No kidding," Stefan agreed. "But you can't fuss with him like that. It just eggs him on."

"I know," Selina said. "And that's probably the last time I'll cave, but I've been waiting to call him a pain in the ass for _years._"

Stefan grinned and started up the car again. As they headed toward the boardinghouse, Selina noticed that Stefan's hands were shaking on the wheel.

"Are you all right?" She asked. "Would you like me to drive the rest of the way?"

"How come you're not more upset?" Stefan asked. "I told you Damon was cheating on you and you didn't bat an eye."

Selina shrugged. "Stefan, I was in Atlantic City having to be married to another guy. I'd be dumb to think that Damon wasn't going to pursue other female company in the interim. Besides, it's not like she's _living_ with you two or something, right?"

"All right," Stefan told her. "Whatever you say."

They parked in the garage and Selina headed inside and ran toward her and Damon's bedroom. "I'm back!" she called as she got closer to it. She headed inside and noticed the bathroom door was open a crack. She headed toward it and gave it a push. "Did you miss me?"

As the door opened, she heard a shriek. Then, everything came into focus: there was Damon in a full bathtub with another woman. "Obviously not," she said as she glared at their stunned faces. She strode further into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub, taking Damon's chin in her hand. "You know dear," she said to him, "I was hoping you'd have a welcome-home surprise ready for me. It should suffice to say that this is _not_ what I had in mind." Then, she let his chin go and shoved him roughly backward. "I'm going to Stella's," she said. "Don't bother calling to try and explain this. No answer will be good enough." And with that, she stood up, strode out of the bathroom, and slammed the door hard behind her.

"Who was that?" Andie asked.

"That was my wife," Damon replied.

"Oh," Andie said. "I like her; she seems nice."

* * *

Stefan found Selina heading down the stairs just as he was coming in. "Can I assume from your look of self-righteous anger that you found Damon?" he asked.

"I did," Selina said. "And I'm going to Stella's. I told him not to bother to call. At least not for awhile."

"You said you'd be stupid to think that he wouldn't try to go after anyone else while you were gone," Stefan asked. "Why are you upset?"

Selina frowned. "What are you saying, Stefan? Are you defending him?"

"No," Stefan shook his head. "I'm just curious."

"I expected him to get some new company," Selina said. "But not so soon. I didn't think he would jump in the bathtub with the first bimbo dumb enough to allow herself to be compelled."

"Gotcha," Stefan said. "You can go to Stella's now."

"Thanks," Selina nodded and got on her way.

Stefan watched her go, and then headed upstairs to Selina and Damon's bedroom, figuring that Damon would probably still be in there. He reached the door and knocked. When he got no response from inside, he called out "It's Stefan; can I come in?"

A second later, Damon opened the door. "I thought it was Selina again."

"I highly doubt she'd bother knocking in the state she's in." Stefan said. "I tried to call you earlier to tell you we were coming. Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"I don't know," Damon said. "It just didn't occur to me that she would be home so early."

"Well, lots of stuff happened in Atlantic City; some of it might be of interest to you," Stefan told him."

"Selina killed that Christian Blake guy; it was on the news, Stefan. Everyone knows that." Damon said dismissively.

"There's more," Stefan said. "Apparently, Bonnie Bennett's grandmother has decided to take revenge on Selina for killing Bonnie. Guess how she did it?"

"How?" Damon asked sarcastically. "I'm dying to know."

"She used her magic to call up Michael Lockwood's spirit and now it's taken possession of Tyler Lockwood's body; and not only that, apparently, some of Mason Lockwood's werewolf friends from Florida saw the news broadcast from the night of the full moon, and now they're very interested in Selina."

Damon's eyes widened. "And why is that?"

"Because Michael might have let it slip that Selina's a vampire with the werewolf gene," Stefan said quickly.

"I have to get over to Stella's," Damon said. "I have to talk to Selina about this."

"I doubt she'll let you near her with a ten-foot pole," Stefan said. "Just let her calm down, will you? She'll probably forgive you in a couple of days as long as you don't do anything more to make her angry."

"You have a point," Damon said. "Maybe I'll just go to get a drink." He got in his car and headed to O'Neil's, where he had two beers and then, after throwing the bottles away, he headed to the bathroom. He stood near the sink, staring at himself in the mirror. A second later, Tyler Lockwood appeared beside him.

"Hey," Tyler said. "You and I _really_ need to talk."

"I don't know if I want to talk to you," Damon said. "I'm not in the best mood."

"What happened?" Tyler asked.

Damon stared at him for a minute. "You seriously want me to tell you about my problems?" he asked.

"Sure," Tyler nodded. "You're going to have to listen to mine in a few minutes so I might as well return the favor."

Damon cleared his throat. "Was it wrong for me to want a little female companionship while you and Selina were in Atlantic City?" He asked.

"No," Tyler shook his head. "Did you get any? Female companionship, I mean."

"Duh," Damon said. "First night out I found somebody. Easy as can be but surprisingly wise. I brought her home, we had some nice philosophical discussions in the bathtub, and then Selina just shows up today. Now she's pissed off at me and she's run off somewhere. And Stefan told me about everything that happened with you and Michael so—"

"So you know that Michael's now inhabiting my body," Tyler said.

"Yeah," Damon said looking him over. "It's pretty obvious from the look of you."

"And that leads me to _my_ problem," Tyler continued. "I was just over at my house and Michael and Caroline were looking awfully cozy."

"So?" Damon said. "If he's interested in Caroline that means won't be so concerned about Selina."

"It also means that it'll be more difficult to make him go away," Tyler finished. "Oh, and Caroline and Michael are plotting to get rid of you; I just thought you'd want to know that."

"It's Michael," Damon said. "Of _course_ he's plotting to get rid of me; that's been his goal Selina's whole life. He's been trying for years and he hasn't yet succeeded."

"I think it's more serious now," Tyler said. "He's got Caroline in on the act. He got her all worked up about you killing Sheriff Forbes and what went on between you and her when you first showed up in Mystic Falls. So just keep an eye out."

"Will do," Damon said, giving him a mock salute.

Tyler disappeared a second later. Then Damon got up to head to the parking lot and go back to the boardinghouse.

* * *

"There you are," Stella said when she opened the door to Selina's knock. "I saw what happened on the news. Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Selina said, stepping inside. "But I need a drink."

"Why?" Stella asked. "What happened?"

Selina turned. "I found out my husband is the biggest jackass in the world; that's what happened."

"Well, he sent you off to Atlantic City when there was a full moon, and risked your life that way," Stella said. "What else did he do?"

"When I got back, I found him in our bathtub with some floozy that he's using as a chew toy," Selina said. "He could have at least waited until I was gone a few days, but _noooooo_. He has to go out and pick somebody up the very night I leave. What kind of husband does that?"

Stella put a hand on her shoulder. "Remember in _Moonstruck _when Cher's father has two women?"

Selina smiled. "I very much doubt Damon fears death."

Stella shrugged. "Sorry, I don't know what else to tell you."

"Where's Tommy?" Selina asked.

"He should be upstairs," Stella said. "He'll be glad to know you're okay; he was really worried about you."

Selina nodded and headed upstairs, finding Tommy in his room. "Hey, Stranger," she said from the doorway.

He was sitting at his desk and as he looked over and saw her, his eyes lit up. "You're all right!" He said, hurrying over to her, picking her up and spinning her around. "When I saw what happened on the news, I was so worried that you were hurt or something."

"Thank you," she told him. "It's nice to know that at least _somebody_ cares about my well-being."

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked, putting her down.

"I called my brother-in-law to come get me this morning and when I got back home, I found my husband in the bathtub with some floozy he's using as a chew toy; actually, she's a news reporter, but if she's dumb enough to let herself get compelled by him, then she might as well be a floozy. And this is _on top_ of the fact that he sent me to Atlantic City during a full moon without supervision. I could have been killed! So to synopsize, he endangered my life, and cheated on me." Selina's voice was shaking.

Tommy was frowning. "That's horrible," he said. "If there's anything I can do—"

"There is," Selina cut him off savagely. "I've heard that Originals can compel other vampires; I want you to make me forget my husband."


	20. Raise Your Glass

"Are you serious?" Tommy asked her in surprise. "You really want me to make you forget about your husband?"

"Yes!" Selina said sharply. "And please just make it quick."

"Just a minute," he said, and left the room. He went down the hall to a high oak door and knocked. "Come in," a voice said. A minute later, the door creaked open. Tommy entered, but stayed just inside the doorway.

Just then, Elijah turned to look at him. "Come now; we mustn't lurk in doorways. It's rude. One might question your upbringing."

Tommy went the rest of the way into the room and stood by Elijah's desk. "You'll never guess what Selina just asked me to do," he said.

"What?" Elijah asked, not bothering to look up.

"She asked me to compel her to forget her husband."

_That_ got his attention. "Why would she ask you to do that?" He asked. He gathered up all the papers that were on his desk and put them in a neat stack. Then, he stood up.

"Because apparently it's her husband's fault that she ended up in Atlantic City during a full moon," Tommy replied.

"Not to mention the fact that she found him in their bathtub with another woman," Stella said as she entered the room. "What's going on?"

"Selina asked me to compel her to forget her husband," Tommy informed her.

"Really?" Stella's eyes widened a fraction. "Well," she said after a moment, "I can't say I'm surprised after what he did."

"So," now Elijah was eyeing Tommy keenly. "Did you come in here just to tell us that, or did you want us to do something about it?"

"I came in here because I wanted to ask your opinion about whether or not I should do as she asked," Tommy said.

"Why are you hesitant?" Elijah asked. "You _do_ realize that compelling her to forget her husband is the only way that she might have feelings for you again."

Tommy nodded. "I know that; but it's kind of selfish, isn't it? I mean, if I really loved her, shouldn't I just help her through the pain?"

Elijah scoffed. "What kind of Original are you? We take what we want; we don't ask other people's opinions. Besides, it's not like you're just compelling her out of nowhere; she _asked_ you to do it. And wouldn't ending her suffering be the best thing for her?"

Tommy looked at Stella. "What do _you_ think?" He asked.

Stella sighed. "I think it might be better for her in the long run if she forgot about Junior for at least a little while; he's already put her in enough danger and I don't want to give him any more chances to mess things up."

Nodding, Tommy headed back to his room. "Are we going to do this or what?" Selina asked.

He nodded. "Of course we are. Just give me a minute." He stood there staring at her for a bit before pulling her in his arms and kissing her hard. When he pushed her away, she was dazed, and as she opened her mouth to speak, he locked eyes with her. "Listen to me," he said. "You were never in love with a man named Damon Salvatore. You have no idea who he is, or any memory of your life together."

Keeping her eyes on his, Selina nodded. "I don't," she said in a monotone.

Tommy nodded in satisfaction. "That's good," he said. As he stepped away, she blinked. "Hi Tommy," she said. "What are we going to do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; I was just going to finish reading my book. But if you want to do something, it can wait."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't neglecting you in any way. But since you seem to be content, I'll just go outside and walk around a little."

"Take your phone with you," he called after her. "And be sure not to speak to strangers."

* * *

As soon as Selina got away from the house, she decided to go to the coffee place she and Elena always went to in the mornings; it'd been awhile since she'd had a good cup of coffee and she needed one now. Remembering Tommy's warning, she turned her phone on and started walking toward the small café.

When she reached it, she found Elena and Stefan sitting together at a table. Each was holding a latte, and as she approached, Stefan pulled out the empty chair for her. "Do you want to sit?" He asked.

"Sure," Selina said, sitting down. "Thanks a lot." She took a seat and gestured at a waiter. "I'll have my usual vanilla cinnamon iced latte with two shot and two percent milk, please." He nodded and strode away.

"So," Elena said, bringing Selina's attention back to them. "Stefan told me what happened with Damon and Andie; are you all right?"

"Who?" Selina asked. "Elena, what are you talking about?"

Elena frowned. "You walking in on Damon and Andie in the bath together; that's what made you storm out and decide to stay at Stella's, isn't it?"

Selina shrugged. "I'm sorry; I still don't know what you're talking about. If I knew who either of those people were then maybe I'd be able to give you a more intelligent answer to your question, but I don't, so I can't."

Just then, the waiter came with Selina's latte. She took it from him, thanked him, and then took a swig. While she was swallowing, Stefan leaned forward. "You know who Damon is," he said encouragingly. "He's my brother; your husband."

Selina laughed. "Since when did you have a brother?" She asked as soon as she swallowed. "That's news to me. And if I _had_ husband, I think I'd remember."

"Something weird's going on," Elena said. "Stefan, what do you think she's doing?"

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Stefan said. "She's probably just in denial. If we don't play along, she'll probably stop." With that, he took Selina's hand in his. "Look," he said to her. "We know you're upset about what Damon did, but pretending it didn't happen isn't going to make it go away. Despite my efforts to avoid the whole situation, it _did_ happen. The best thing for you to do now is to come back to the house with us and talk to him about it."

"I'm not supposed to speak to strangers," Selina said, standing up. "Tommy told me that before I left."

"Wait," Stefan said to her. "How is it that you know the two of us but you don't know Damon?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because this Damon you keep talking about doesn't really exist, but is in fact a figment of your imagination? I don't know what goes on in your brain, Stefan. Maybe you should see someone about this imaginary brother of yours; unless of course it's something like Jack does in _The Importance of Being Earnest_; you know, inventing an imaginary hedonistic 'brother' as a way to engage in behavior that your normal self wouldn't approve of and come out of it without feeling any guilt. That would be all right. Quirky, but all right."

Stefan groaned. "Damon is _not_ a figment of my imagination, or an alternate personality or whatever else you can come up with! He's a real person! You love him! Now stop behaving like this. It's getting really old really fast."

Selina's face became blank. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'll leave now. I didn't mean to make you angry." She stood up, grabbed her latte, and strode away.

"You know what?" Elena turned to Stefan. "Somehow, I really don't think she was trying to pull our legs; maybe something happened to her memory and she honestly has no idea who Damon is."

Stefan shook his head. "I don't believe that," he said. "For one thing, I don't think it's possible for vampires to have amnesia. For another, if it _was_ possible, don't you think she'd forget about more than just Damon? I mean, she knows us, right? Maybe we should try and find out how much she knows and how much she doesn't know."

Elena nodded. "Good idea; let's get her before she gets away. Selina," she called. Selina turned. "Yeah, Elena?"

"Stefan and I are going to head back to my house," she said. "Would you like to come with us?"

Selina nodded. "Sure. It's been awhile since we just hung out, hasn't it?"

Elena nodded. "Not since the night Bonnie died."

Selina breathed in sharply. "Don't you mean the night I killed her?" she asked quietly.

"You remember that?" Elena asked.

Selina nodded. "It's hard to forget something like that. But I want to come. Thanks for asking." She followed them to Stefan's car and buckled herself into the backseat. They drove to the Gilbert house with Selina listening in silence to Elena and Stefan's chatter.

"Sophia!" Jenna said as Selina followed Stefan and Elena into the house. "It's been awhile since you've been here. How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you Jenna," Selina told her. "And you?"

"Just great," Jenna nodded. Then, they all lapsed into silence. "I suppose you guys want to talk about something private," Jenna said at last. "So I'll just be getting out of your way." As soon as she left the kitchen, Alaric came in. When he saw Selina, his eyes widened. "When did _she _start coming here?" He asked. "I thought you decided to keep her away after she attacked Jeremy."

"That wasn't my fault!" Selina cried out. "He opened the window during a full moon and the light hit me. What did he think was going to happen?"

"A-ha!" Elena cried out. "So you remember that too!"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Why do you keep pointing out what I do and don't remember?"

"Because we're trying to figure out what's wrong with you," Stefan said patiently. "Clearly, something is."

"What are you saying?" Selina asked. "Just because I can't remember some fake brother who's clearly a figment of your imagination, you think I have amnesia or something?"

"What's going on?" Alaric asked.

"She doesn't remember Damon," Elena told him. "She doesn't remember him, or that they were ever married. She thinks he's a figment of Stefan's imagination."

Alaric smirked a little. "Well if I'd found my significant other naked in a bathtub with somebody else, I'd want to forget them too."

Selina looked at Stefan in amazement. "How many people did you let in on this delusion of yours?" She asked. "And why was _I_ left in the dark?"

"Selina," Alaric said to her. "Look down at your right hand; what do you see?"

Selina looked down at her hand and her eyes widened. "A ring," she breathed. "A really shiny, decently-sized ring. Tommy gave it to me."

" No, you got it when you and Damon married in Vegas," Alaric told her. "Jenna, Stefan, Elena and I were all there. And who's Tommy?" He smiled. "'Who's Tommy.' I'm so hilarious."

"Kevin is Tommy," Stefan explained. "He's actually a vampire that Selina married after the Civil War ended."

"_Kevin's_ a vampire?" Alaric asked.

"Yep," Stefan nodded. "That journal he read from the first day he came to class was actually his, not his ancestor's."

"So is she married to two guys at the same time?" Alaric asked.

Stefan nodded. "In a sense, yes; three if you count her wedding to Tyler in Atlantic City."

"Actually," Elena said, "I think Michael had possessed him by the time the two of them got married, so it's _Michael_ she's married to."

"I married _Michael_?" Selina cried in disgust. "I _must_ have been drunk at the wedding."

Alaric snorted. "Is she serious?" He asked Stefan. "In her belief that it was Kevin who gave her the ring?"

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "Apparently, something's happened to her that's caused her to forget all about Damon."

"You mean like amnesia?" Alaric asked.

Stefan shrugged. "I don't know. Can vampires even _get_ amnesia?"

"I don't know either," Alaric replied.

Just then, Elena's phone rang, causing them all to jump about a mile. Elena saw who it was, thought about not answering it, but then decided it might be best. "I have to run an errand real quick," she said as soon as she hung up. "It won't take very long, probably half an hour at the most." Then, she sprinted from the house before anyone could ask questions.

* * *

She arrived at Dr. Stensrund's five minutes later. "What made you agree to come so quickly today?" Isobel asked. "Usually it takes more cajoling."

"I came because I have a reason to come," Elena told her. "Tell me; in all your years of research, did you ever come across anything about whether or not vampires can get amnesia?"

"_What_?" Isobel asked. "Why would you ask something like that?"

"Because something's happened to Selina," Elena said. "Something weird."

"You think she has amnesia?" Katherine said gleefully. "That's lucky; we could do a lot with that."

"I wouldn't get too excited," Elena said warningly. "She remembers everything except her life with Damon; ask her anything about him and she acts completely lost. At one point, she even thought Damon was a figment of Stefan's imagination."

"What do you think would make her do something like that?" John asked. "Did she _have_ an accident?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't think so. I couldn't even _begin_ to hypothesize why something like this would happen. Ric was thinking that it might have something to do with the fact that earlier today Selina walked in on Damon while he was in their bathtub with another woman, but I don't think that that has anything to do with it."

Isobel and Katherine looked at each other for a moment before breaking out into simultaneous gleeful laughter. "Are you serious?" Katherine said between giggles. "Damon was cheating on Selina and he was dumb enough to get himself caught?"

"It was for while Selina was supposed to be with Tyler in Atlantic City," Elena explained. "Damon thought she'd be gone for a longer period of time, so he sought out alternative female company until she got back, not knowing that thanks to a full moon and the sudden descent of a group of werewolves on the town, Selina would only be gone a day."

"Ah," Katherine grinned. "So they _did_ run into each other; Selina and the wolves, I mean. I had hoped they would."

"_You_ sent them?" Elena asked. "I mean, I don't know why I'm surprised. But why?"

"I didn't _send_ them," Katherine corrected. "I just tipped them off that Selina was going to be there. Thanks for telling us about that, by the way. Any other pieces of information you'd care to impart?"

"Just one," Elena said. "Your little plan cost you more than it won you. When Selina killed my friend Bonnie, it made Bonnie's grandmother so upset that she decided to take revenge on Selina. She did it by calling up Michael Lockwood from the spirit world and setting him loose on Mystic Falls. He then proceeded to possess Tyler, expelling Tyler's own spirit and sending _it_ on its own way. So when your werewolf pals showed up to threaten/menace Selina, Michael in Tyler's body let it slip that Selina was a Lockwood on her mother's side and thus has the werewolf gene; now the werewolves want her too. What do you think about that?"

"I think we'll have to come up with a plan to deal with them," Katherine said. "But I don't think it'll be difficult; I can take care of werewolves in a snap."

* * *

After getting everything out of Selina that they could, Stefan and Elena were surprised when she agreed to go back with them to the boardinghouse. "I'm only coming so that I can prove that you two are wrong, all right?"

"Or so that we can prove to you that we're _right_," Stefan whispered to Elena.

"I hope so," she told him. "I hate it when Damon and Selina fight and we get stuck in the middle."

When they reached the boardinghouse, Stefan said to Selina "I bet you remember this place."

"Vaguely," she nodded. "But not as well as some other places." They went inside and found Damon and Andie on the couch. "We're back," Stefan announced. "And look who we brought with us?"

"Selina?" Damon said in surprise. "I thought you said you'd _never_ come back." He looked at Stefan. "You were right when you said that as long as I didn't do anything to make things worse she'd come back." He looked at Selina again. "I'm really sorry about what happened. It's just that I didn't know you were going to be back so quickly."

"I wouldn't be so cheerful yet if I was you," Stefan warned. "Something is wrong with her; she doesn't remember you at all. She thought you were a figment of my imagination."

"Really?" Damon asked. "When you say she doesn't remember me, do you mean that she _really_ doesn't remember me, or that she's expressing her anger by pretending I don't exist?"

"No," Stefan shook his head. "She genuinely doesn't remember you."

Damon just laughed. "Don't be silly," he said. "Of course she remembers me." He gave her a hug and as he pulled away, her blank expression lightened. "My God," she said. "Something about you is familiar," she said. "Did you and I date at some point?"

He nodded. "You could say that."

"Did we have a really horrible break-up?"

He nodded. "It didn't end well. But there's always a chance that things could look up, isn't there?" He asked hopefully.

She smiled sadly and took his cheek in her hand. "I wish there could be," she said. "But I don't believe in dwelling in the past." She looked at the couch and saw Andie. "Besides, you've clearly moved on, and I have too." She showed him the ring on her finger. "My boyfriend gave this to me; actually, I guess that would make him my fiancé, wouldn't?" She asked.

"Congratulations," Andie said from the couch. "I'm Andie, by the way."

Selina smiled. "I'm Selina. Nice to meet you."

Andie looked at Damon. "You know, I just had the best thought!"

"What?" Damon asked.

"Wouldn't it be fun if the four of us got together to have an engagement party for you and your fiancé?" She asked Selina.

Selina gasped. "That would be wonderful, thank you! I'll let Tommy know; he's been saying that he'd like to meet some of my friends." Selina looked at Stefan and Elena. "You guys should come too. And maybe bring Alaric and Jenna to fill up the table." She looked at Andie. "Would that be all right?"

"Sure," Andie nodded. "The more the merrier."

Selina looked at her watch. "I better go," she said. "Tommy's probably worried about me."

As soon as she was gone, Damon looked at Stefan. "This is _not_ going to be fun," he said.

"Well, look on the bright side," Stefan told him. "Tommy's going to be at the party; you'll be able to check out your competition without being too obvious about it."

"You're right," Damon said. "Maybe this party's a good idea after all."


	21. It's my Party

Selina got back to Stella's and headed upstairs, knocking on Tommy's bedroom door. "Hey," he said when he let her in. "You don't have to knock, you know."

"I know that," she told him; but it's polite, so I do it anyway." She came into the room and sat down at his desk chair, picking his book up; it was a mystery, one of the cheap ones that people picked up in the supermarket as they waited in the checkout line. "Is this any good?" She asked.

"I _thought_ it would be," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But it just turned out to be a big disappointment. What did you do while I read?"

She began flipping through the pages of the book. "I went down to that café near the library; Elena and I go there for breakfast sometimes and she was there with Stefan. I sat down with them and we had the strangest conversation."

"Really?" he asked, sitting down on the bed. "What did you talk about?"

"You know, I have no idea," she said. "Stefan kept insisting that I married his brother, but the funny thing is, he doesn't have one! A brother I mean. Or at least I _thought_ he didn't until I went back to the boardinghouse with them, and wouldn't you know it? It turns out he _does_ have a brother after all. And you want to know another weird thing?"

"What?" Tommy asked. He was beginning to get nervous. His palms were covered in sweat. He wiped them on his jeans and hoped that she wouldn't notice. "What was the other weird thing?"

"He and I used to date!" Selina crowed. "Stefan's brother, I mean; and when he realized that, he said he wanted to try and get back together because apparently our break-up was horrible, but I told him no because I was already together with you. I even showed him the ring for proof."

She held up her hand. "Oh, yes," Tommy smiled. "Thanks, darling."

She hugged him. "It wasn't a problem, really; besides, he had another girlfriend, and she seemed much too nice for him to let go."

"She's not the only one," Tommy said, holding on to Selina tighter. "Could you look at me a second?"

"Why?" Selina asked, looking up at him. "Is something the matter?"

"No," Tommy shook his head and grinned, kissing her quickly on the lips. "I just wanted to do that."

"You don't have to ask, you know." Selina said.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But it's polite, so I do it anyway."

Selina pulled away. "By the way, my ex's girlfriend Andie and I kind of hit it off and she offered to throw an engagement party for us. Would you be all right with that?"

"Sure," Tommy said. "I would love to meet some of your friends. I mean, I know Stefan and Elena already from school, but I'm sure there are going to be other people there besides them, right?"

Selina nodded. "My ex of course, and his girlfriend. Also Ric, our history teacher who's dating Elena's Aunt Jenna; she'll also be there." She paused. "Are you going to be all right with being in the same room as my ex and all? I know some guys are touchy about that."

He shrugged. "As long as you don't tell me what caused your horrible break-up, I should be fine."

* * *

That night, Stefan and Elena went out to dinner, and when they got back to the boardinghouse, they were greeted by a horrible racket coming from the upper floors. "Do you think you're being robbed?" Elena asked. "Should I stay down here while you go upstairs and investigate?"

Stefan shook his head. "I don't think we're being robbed," he said. "In fact, I'm pretty sure we aren't. But yes, it might be best if you stay down here for a little while."

"What do you think's going on up there?" Elena whispered.

"I bet Damon's blowing off some steam," Stefan said. "But I'll just go have a look before all the furniture's destroyed." Elena nodded and he bounded up the stairs, heading for the sound of the noise. He pounded hard on the door and finally, the noise stopped. "What do you want?" called a worn-out voice from the other side of the closed door.

"I just wanted to see if you needed to talk," Stefan said. "Do you?"

"No," Damon snapped. After that, there was the sound of something like a trunk being thrown hard against the wall. "I'm fine. Go away."

"No," Stefan said, forcing the door open. "Something is seriously wrong with you, and I want to know what it is."

"Go away" Damon snapped. "You're an idiot if I have to tell you specifics." As Stefan entered the room, he looked around and saw that everything was in shambles. Pillows were turn up and leaking their feathers, sheets had been slashed to pieces, contents of cabinets and dressers were spread out all over the floor. It was a mess.

"What the hell happened in here?" Stefan asked. "You've obviously been involved in this wanton destruction for quite some time."

Damon laughed. "If you think _this_ is bad, you should see Selina's room." Stefan stared at him for a second before hurrying toward Selina's room, which was definitely in worse shape than their shared bedroom had been: the door and windows were off their hinges and hanging perilously, the windows were broken and shards of glass were everywhere. "Look under her bed," Damon said quietly.

Eyeing his brother uneasily, Stefan got down on his knees and peered under the bed. Nothing seemed amiss until he pulled out the memory box Selina's father and Uncle had made for her. The sight of it made him gasp. The pictures had been torn up, the pages of the diaries crumpled and stained with some disappeared completely. It smelled as if the whole thing had been burned.

"Did you set this on _fire_?" Stefan asked, looking at his brother in amazement. "Why the hell did you do that?"

"How could I not?" Damon asked. "You saw her today, Stefan. How could I not?"

"All right," Stefan said, trying to stay calm. "I think you just need to sit down and take a deep breath, all right?"

Damon sat down, but his body was still full of nervous energy. "Now listen to me," Stefan said. "Are you listening?" It took awhile, but finally, Damon's eyes caught his and Damon's focus didn't change. "What you saw today was unusual. Something's happened to Selina to make her forget you, and we don't know how it happened or how to fix it, but we _will_, all right? And once we do, she'll love you just as much as she did before and everything will be all right again. You knew that she was messed up before we brought her; why are you so freaked out now?"

"Because of the ring," Damon said quietly, trying to stop his voice from shaking.

"What about the ring?" Stefan asked.

"_I_ gave her that ring, Stefan. I bought it for her, one of the first things I bought with money that was entirely my own. And when I didn't get to give it to her after I bought it, I saved it under my pillow every day for a hundred and forty-five years!" His voice rose to a feverish pitch and then broke as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I saved that ring and kept it close to my heart every day for a hundred and forty-five years! When I gave it to her, I thought I would never be able to be happier than I was at that moment. And now, she's walking around town telling everyone that someone else gave it to her. She's completely forgotten me, and is telling everyone that _someone_ _else _gave her the ring I worked so hard to get her. Wouldn't you be upset if you were me?"

Stefan put his arms around his brother. "I'm sorry," he said. "I had no idea that it meant so much to you. I wish we could do something about it."

"Oh, my God," Damon said. "I just realized something.

"What?" Stefan asked.

"I got a good look at her when she was here, and I think I know why Selina doesn't know me," Damon said.

"Could it also account for why she knows everyone else?" Stefan asked.

"Yes," Damon nodded. "It's so obvious; I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

Stefan gestured around the room. "Because you were too busy destroying things?"

"Possibly," Damon said.

"So tell me," Stefan said. "What's wrong with Selina?"

Damon opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment, there was a knock on Selina's bedroom door. A minute later, the door opened and Andie poked her head in. "I just got off the phone with Alaric and Jenna," she told Damon. "They said they can't wait to come tomorrow."

Damon smiled at her. "Good work. Now go count the silverware."

"All right," she nodded and bounded away.

Stefan looked Damon, who just smiled lazily. "And there's your answer," he said simply.

"What?" Stefan asked, intently watching the door that Andie had just disappeared from.

"Selina's been _compelled_ to forget me," Damon said. "I _should_ have noticed the signs; I mean I've done it enough times myself."

"I'm going to choose to ignore that last remark," Stefan said, rubbing his temple. "Who would want to compel Selina to forget you?"

"I would think that the answer would be obvious," Damon said. "Tyler manifested himself to me at O'Neil's and told me that Michael was called forth from the spirit world and took possession of his body. I bet Michael screwed with Selina's brain just to piss me off."

"I doubt it was him," Stefan said. "Michael would need vampire abilities to pull off something like that, and even though he was a vampire in his own body, in Tyler's he doesn't have such luck."

"You have a point," Damon conceded. "But I wouldn't put it past Michael to try something like that."

Another knock at the door put a halt to their conversation. "I don't hear any more banging," Elena said, peeking around the door as Andie had. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Stefan told her. "But there's lots of glass and stuff on the floor so be careful where you step."

"God," Elena gasped when she opened the door all the way and stepped inside. "What happened in here?"

"You are looking at my very thorough efforts to erase Selina from my life," Damon said. "At least I wanted to until I realized she was compelled to forget me and not acting like a bitch for the heck of it."

"What?" Elena said in amazement. "What do you _mean_ Selina was compelled to forget you?"

"She was," Damon said simply. "That's why she remembers everything about her life except anything that has to do with me."

Elena put her hands on her hips. "When you hugged her, she kind of remembered you, although not quite."

Damon nodded. "I _did_ notice that," he said. "That's why I want to get her back here as soon as possible."

"She might not want to come now that you've destroyed all her stuff," Elena said.

"Including burning her memory box," Stefan added.

Elena gasped. "You mean the one her father and uncle made up for her before her father went off to war? Well that was vicious."

"Like I said," Damon told her. "I was very thorough."

"Have we figured out who would compel Selina to forget you?" Elena asked.

"Damon thinks Michael had something to do with it," Stefan told her. "But I reminded him that since Michael's in Tyler's body, he doesn't have the power."

"But who else is there?" Elena asked.

Stefan shrugged. "I have no idea." He looked at Damon. "Are you ready for the party tomorrow?" he asked. "You're going to play nice, aren't you?"

Damon nodded. "I will if _he _will."

* * *

"Tomorrow is the party," Selina told Tommy as they got in bed that night. "I don't know what my ex might do, but no matter what, I want you to play nice, all right?"

Tommy kissed her. "Of course I will, my darling; I always play nice. That is, unless I get attacked first, and then I reserve the right to play rough."

"_All right,_" Selina heaved an exaggerated sigh. "If you're attacked first, you can defend yourself, but that's all I'm going to allow."

"Are you telling me what to do?" He asked her. "You know, I don't usually allow people to do that."

Selina laughed. "I'm not people; I'm your fiancée. And if you're going to be married to me, you might as well get used to it." She thought he was going to yell, but instead, he just grinned and pulled her under the covers.

* * *

The morning of the party, Damon was struck by sudden, desperate inspiration. He headed over to the Lockwood Mansion and when Mrs. Lockwood opened the door, he asked if he could see Tyler. "Sure," she said, opening the door to let him in. "He's upstairs with Caroline, but he's been acting odd lately, so I don't know if you're going to get anything coherent out of him.

"Thanks, Carol," he told her, grinning over his shoulder as he headed up the stairs. He followed the sound of voices, and when he found the right door, he knocked. A few minutes later, Michael answered. "It's you," he said, bearing his teeth. "What do _you_ want?"

Damon tried to keep hold of his temper. "I didn't come here to fight, if that's what you're thinking," he said. "I came because I wanted to invite you to a party."

"What?" Michael asked, looking confused. He turned to Caroline. "Did he just say that he came to invite me to a party? Did you hear that too?"

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. Then her eyes narrowed. "What _kind _of party?"

"Oh," Damon laced his fingers behind his back and trained his eyes on the ceiling. "Just an engagement party my girlfriend Andie is giving for Selina and her new fiancé. I figured since you were so protective of Selina and all, you might want to meet the guy."

Michael's eyes lit up. "Selina's engaged to _somebody else_?" he asked. "Someone who isn't you? She's finally come to her senses after all these years?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "Selina's forgotten me completely. So, are you coming? You can bring Caroline as your date if you want."

Michael turned. "Are you interested?" he asked her. "If you aren't, I can go by myself."

"Of course I want to come," Caroline nodded. "But before we go, you and I have some things we need to work out."

Michael turned back to Damon. "Looks like we'll be there; and I'm really sorry for your loss."

"Oh, shut up," Damon scoffed.

* * *

"Where did you _go_?" Stefan asked when Damon returned. "One minute you're here, the next you're gone; you aren't trying to start trouble, are you?"

"I stopped by the Lockwoods'," Damon told him. "I wanted to let Michael know about the party."

Stefan nodded. "Right, and since you hate Michael, can I assume that there's some type of logic behind that?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I mean, think about it; Michael hates guys who go anywhere _near_ Selina, right? So if he comes and meets whats-his-face, then that'll be the end of it."

"I don't think that's entirely correct," Elena said, coming up behind Stefan. "Michael doesn't hate _all _guys who go near Selina; he just hates _you_. He's never seen her with anyone else."

"It could still work," Damon said. "You never know." Just then, Andie entered. "What are we talking about?" she asked.

"I got two more people for the party," Damon said.

Andie nodded. "All right," she said. "Sounds good; and I got calls from everyone else, so we _should_ have a full table." She looked at Stefan and Elena. "Would the two of you mind helping me set up?"

Stefan and Elena nodded and followed Andie to the dining room. Damon went to the library and tried to distract himself from thoughts of what would happen later that night. He was nearly ready to reach for a book when Stefan and Elena entered the room. "So, Elena said, sitting down in chair next to him. "Tell us what you plan to do tonight so we can be adequately prepared. If there is such a thing."

Damon turned from the shelf to face her. "I'm not planning anything. I just want to have a good time. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

"Well, yes." Stefan told him. "If you were only planning on having a good time, you wouldn't have invited Michael in a lame attempt to try and scare Tommy off."

"I don't think it's lame," Damon said, sitting down. "I think it's clever. Once Tommy's out of the way, I plan to use my marvelous powers of persuasion to remind Selina how much she loves me and how much I love her. And remember that we were wondering how Michael could go through with his plan to compel Selina to forget me? It's simple; he and Caroline are good friends, so he just had _her _do it."

"Is she a strong enough vampire to do that thorough a job?" Elena asked. Damon shrugged. "Maybe; we'll find out tonight, won't we?"

* * *

That night, Alaric and Jenna were the first to arrive for the party. "Are you planning something?" Alaric asked Damon, eyeing him suspiciously. "Are people going to be dead by the end of this party?"

"Nobody _should_ be," Damon said. "And why is it that everyone assumes the worst of me? Stefan was all suspicious too."

"Let's think about that," Alaric said. "You're going to be in a room with two guys who are competing for your wife, who is currently under compulsion not to know you; it wouldn't surprise me if you were using this party as an opportunity to get rid of the competition and get Selina back."

"All right," Damon said, pouring himself a drink. "So you caught me; but what's so wrong about wanting to get Selina back?"

"I didn't say anything was wrong," Alaric said."I'm just saying _be careful_."

Damon smirked. "Why? Let's consider who I'm up against; a ghost in the body of a guy with no supernatural powers whatsoever, except during the full moon which has already passed, and then a vampire; I can deal with other vampires."

"I don't know," Alaric said. "Ever since Elena pointed out to me that Kevin was a vampire, I've been getting this weird, dangerous kind of vibe from him."

"Kevin's Tommy's other name, right?"

"Yeah," Alaric nodded. "Like how Selina goes by either Selina or Sophia depending on who she's with."

At that moment, Jenna entered the library. "Everyone else is here," she said. "We're ready to start."

Alaric nodded and headed out the library first, with Damon following. They took their seats at the table with Alaric sitting next to Damon and looking as if he wanted to keep a firm grip on him.

"So," Andie began, looking at Selina. "How did the two of you meet?"

Selina looked at Tommy and then back at Andie. "He actually came to stay at my house for a few days." Selina looked pointedly at Damon. "That was right after we broke up; well, not right after; maybe a couple of months. Originally, he was only going to spend the night, but then nights stretched into days, which stretched into weeks…you get the picture." She smiled and leaned against Tommy's side. He put his arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head. As he watched, Damon felt pain shoot through his chest as if he were being stabbed internally by little daggers.

Otherwise, the party was a big success, although much to Damon's dismay, Tommy and Michael hit it off rather than hating each other as Damon had hoped they would. "Got any other plans?" Alaric whispered.

"I think I'm just going to go for it," Damon whispered back.

"What does that mean?" Alaric asked him.

"You'll see," Damon said. He just had to wait for the right moment. The first time happened during the appetizers. Selina stood up. "I'm just going to run to the bathroom," she said. "Could somebody tell me where it is? I have a horrible sense of direction and I don't want to get lost."

"I will," Damon said immediately, standing up and striding over to her. "Come with me." He held out his hand and she took it. He led her away from the table, but instead of taking her to the bathroom, he took her to a small alcove and sat her down on a window seat. "This isn't the bathroom," she told him. "What are you doing?"

He sat down beside her. "I know you don't remember me at all; but we have something. Something good. And I _love _you. It's so hard to explain just how much." He held up her hand with the ring on it. "I know you think that Tommy gave you this ring, and that he's your fiancé, but he's not; _I_ gave you this ring. I bought it for you a hundred and forty-five years ago, but things happened that prevented me from being able to give it to you. I finally did just months ago when we married, in Las Vegas with my brother, Elena, Alaric and Jenna watching. Do you believe anything I'm telling you?"

Selina bit her lip. "_You_ obviously believe everything you're telling me," she said. "But they're all just words, aren't they?"

Damon blinked. "Would you like some more definite proof?"

"Yes," Selina said.

And with that, he leaned forward, took her in his arms, and kissed her, long, slow and sweet. When he pulled away, her eyes were wide. "My God," she breathed. "Is anything coming back to you?" Damon asked eagerly.

Selina thought a moment. "Not yet, no; but I'll sure try to remember. I'm at Stella's; come by the house tonight and maybe we'll make some more progress."

He nodded. "I look forward to it." He cleared his throat. "We should probably be heading back. Your fiancé is probably wondering where you ran off to."

"I don't have to wonder," said a sharp voice. "I saw the whole thing." Tommy advanced on them, his expression ugly. Michael was standing next to him. "I told you he would try and pull something like this," Michael said. "He's always been that way."

"Thank you for warning me, Michael," Tommy told him. "I'm indebted to you."

"No problem," Michael said as Tommy grabbed Selina firmly by the arm and pulled her back to the table.

The rest of dinner was spent in awkward silence. The tension in the room was palpable. If anyone even moved a little bit, everyone else sprang forward as if to try and keep them down.

When everyone else had gone, Stefan came to stand next to Damon, who was staring out the window watching the cars pull down the drive. "What happened?" Stefan asked. "Why did Tommy drag Selina in like that?"

"Because he found us kissing," Damon said. "Selina's beginning to turn back into her old self, or at least she's heading in that direction. She wants me to come by Stella's tonight and help her out some more."

"I don't think you should," Elena said warningly, coming up behind him. "When Tommy brought Selina back in, he just looked mean; and he's an Original, did you know that; he could hurt you badly if you aren't careful."

"I don't care," Damon said resolutely. "Selina wants me to come see her at Stella's tonight, and I'm going."

* * *

That night, Selina eagerly prepared for bed. "Why are _you_ so happy?" Tommy asked suspiciously.

Selina shrugged. "No reason. Can't a person just be happy?"

Tommy glared at her, but then shook it off. "I'm going to go downstairs and read for awhile. Are you just going to go straight to bed?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "So could you turn the lights off when you leave?"

Tommy nodded and watched her change into her pajamas. Once she was tucked in, he left, turning the lights out just as he reached the door. After he'd gone, Selina lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Then, she heard a noise at the window; a few minutes later, a voice whispered "Don't be frightened; it's only me."

Selina sat up as Damon approached the bed. "As if I would ever be afraid of you." He pulled the covers aside and got into bed with her. Then, he just looked at her. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes," she said immediately, and captured his mouth with hers. As things progressed, Selina let out a cry that brought feet pounding up the stairs. Before either Selina or Damon could move, the door burst open on its hinges and light blossomed in the room.

"I didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come back after what happened this evening," Tommy said. He was standing by the bed and his lip was curled. "But love makes people do foolish things, doesn't it?"

Selina swallowed. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

He came over to her and began to run his fingers through her hair. "Don't worry," he told her. He then grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled so that she was looking directly at him. "Nothing will happen to you. Nothing painful, that is. I have something else in mind as penance for your unfaithfulness." He flung her aside. "You," he said, narrowing his eyes at Damon, "You are an annoyance to me; I should get rid of you right now. It would be easy enough. But Michael's done so much for me that it would be selfish for me to kill you on my own, don't you think?" Tommy approached him and hit Damon hard on the side of the head, causing it to connect sharply with the headboard and knock him out cold. A few minutes later, two other vampires appeared. "Find his clothes," Tommy ordered them. "Then, take him down to the basement. Michael is waiting there." Tommy looked dismissively at Damon's prone body. "Young Mr. Salvatore has some lessons to learn that are sorely overdue."


	22. It's All Coming Back to Me Now

As Selina winced and cringed on the bed, Tommy threw her a bathrobe. "Put that on," he ordered. "And come with me."

She looked up at him. "Where are you taking me?" She asked softly.

Tommy glared at her. "Somewhere safe," he said. "Somewhere _far_ away from everything, where you'll have time to think."

"Are we leaving here?" Selina asked.

Tommy shook his head and then came over to her, kissing her softly on the lips. "It really hurts me to have to do this to you," he said.

"Then don't," Selina said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"But I _have _to," he said. "You obviously don't understand the consequences of what you did tonight."

"I do," she said, her eyes downcast. "I was the one who asked him to come here, so if you want to punish someone, punish me, not him."

"Why can't I just punish both of you?" He asked. "If you both had a part in it?"

Selina kept her gaze firmly on him. "Do whatever you feel you need to, but first, at least tell my why."

Tommy gave a humorless laugh. "You don't understand at all, do you?" He asked. "A hundred and forty-five years ago, I was there for you when he wasn't. He _left_ you for another woman, and I came into your life and picked up the pieces. This time around, you tell me that you and he are having a fight. I say that I'll be there for you and let you into my life and into my heart. You remind me of how much I love you, and then when things get better between the two of you, you just throw me away; after that, I promised myself I wouldn't get involved again because I knew how things would end up. But then you come here and tell me that you want me to compel you to forget your husband. I did it because I thought this time, you were serious and that I at least had a _chance_ to be with you longer than a few days; maybe even enough time to establish the same kind of relationship we had when we first married; but once again, you see him, fall in love all over again, and once again, I get stomped into the dirt. Do you see why I have to hurt you now?" His voice was close to breaking. Selina, now covered up, looked close to crying herself.

"I told you when you first came back that I wasn't looking for a replacement relationship," she said. "And as for why the compulsion is failing, maybe you didn't try hard enough when you did it, or maybe some things just can't be compelled away. Either way, it's not my fault."

He narrowed his eyes at her, grabbed her by the arm, yanking her off the bed, and took her to another room in a different part of the house. When he opened the door, the other man in the room started. "Jonas," Tommy said curtly.

"Yes?" Jonas asked. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is," Tommy said. "This is Selina." Tommy showed her to him. "She's had a very long day and will probably have some trouble sleeping tonight. Could you give her about half of the bottle of potion I asked you to make?"

"Sure," Jonas said, after watching Selina for a moment. She was clearly distraught and kept trying to wiggle out of Tommy's grasp. Finally, Jonas found the potion and he and Tommy put Selina in a chair. When she wouldn't open her mouth on her own, they opened it for her and forced the liquid down her throat. After only a short while, she became unable to walk. She had trouble keeping her eyes open. Tommy looked at her and smiled with satisfaction. "Very good," he said. "Remember to keep the second half of the potion easily accessible. We're going to need it later."

Tommy then carried her to another room that was in one of the little-used parts of the house on the lower floors near the basement. He opened the door and Selina saw a lavishly furnished and very dusty bedroom with rose-colored silk sheets, wallpaper with red roses, and Persian rugs.

"What _is _this room?" She asked drowsily.

Tommy helped her over to the bed. "You'll be staying here for few days," he said. "Just because you stomped all over my heart doesn't mean I don't want you to be comfortable. "Just as he was pulling the covers over her, she heard a terrible cry that made her heart turn over. "What was that?" She asked.

"Nothing," Tommy said. Then he left, closing the door behind him and locking it.

* * *

Damon shuddered as more pain coursed through his body. He was dressed only in his boxers and his ankles and wrists were bound with rope to a cold table. Michael stood over him, wearing an insane grin. He held a container full of vervain and every couple of minutes, he would pour some on Damon's body; the amount varied depending on how Michael was feeling. He had been very generous so far. "I bet you're enjoying this," Damon finally managed to get out, breathing very hard afterward.

"Oh, immensely," Michael assured him, showing a grin worthy of the Joker. "I've waited a long time to do something like this."

He poured again, and Damon groaned. A moment later, Michael paused because it sounded like someone was coming down the stairs. Tommy strolled in and looked him over. "Looks like you're making progress," he told Michael approvingly. "Are you having a good time?"

"Oh, yes," Michael nodded. "How much longer is this going to go on?"

Tommy began rooting around in the drawers and cabinets. "The vervain treatment's only going to last throughout the day, I think. It's just to wear him out. Then, in a couple of days, I have some other things in mind that you'll find delightful."

"Where's Selina?" Damon cried out. "What are you doing to her?"

"I'm not doing anything to her," Tommy said, leaning over him. "She's resting now. But don't worry; you'll see her soon."

* * *

Stefan shut his phone again. He'd called Damon for the fifteenth time with no answer, and he was starting to get worried. "Anything?" Elena asked as he came back to the living room and sat down beside her. "No," he said as she put her hand on his back. "And I'm beginning to get worried. I told him going over there was a bad idea."

"Well, do you think we should go over to Stella's and see what's going on?" Elena asked. "He could be in trouble."

At that moment, Stefan's phone rang. He opened it up and hit send. "Hello?" he said. "Damon, are you all right?"

"It's not Junior," said a decidedly female voice on the other end. "It's Stella. Don't come and look for Junior or Selina. They're here, but if you come, you'll be hurt just like they are."

"What?" Stefan's eyes widened. "Damon and Selina are hurt? What's going on?"

"Tommy's got Junior down in the basement here," she said. "And he's got that cousin of Selina's shooting Junior full of vervain to weaken him so he'll be more 'cooperative' during another little surprise Tommy has planned for a couple of days from now."

"Why didn't you stop any of this?" Stefan cried.

"I _tried _Stefan; honest I did. And I got a black eye and a broken arm for my efforts," Stella said. "Don't worry, I wouldn't have let Junior go without a fight; after all, he probably got his incredible impulsivity and stupidity from me."

"Thank you," Stefan said after a moment. "Would you just keep checking on things, please?" Stefan asked. "And call with any further developments? Thanks, Stella."

Stefan hung up the phone. "That was Stella," he told Elena. "Apparently, Damon got caught last night and now Tommy and Michael are 'taking care' of him."

Elena stood up. "We have to go."

"No," Stefan shook his head and pushed her back down. "Stella says we'll just get hurt if we try. The best thing to do now is wait."

They sat side by side on the couch and then, after a minute, they looked at one another. "You don't believe anything you're saying, do you?" Elena asked.

"Not a word," Stefan shook his head. "Let's go; but we have to be _careful_, do you understand, Elena?"

She nodded and then they headed out to the car. They drove to Stella's, and when they knocked on the door, Rose answered. "Figured you'd be here as soon as Stella told you Damon was in trouble. And Selina too; but your brother's got it a lot worse, at least for now."

"Uh-huh," Stefan nodded. "So where are they keeping him and what's the most discreet way to get him out?"

"I don't think you'll be able to, honestly Stefan," Stella told him. "Junior's down in the basement. And Michael won't let anyone stop him doing what he's wanted to do for more than a century."

"I wouldn't doubt that," Elena said. "So what are we going to do? Because I refuse to just sit here. And what's happening to Selina? Are they hurting her too?"

"I don't think so," Rose said. "As a matter of fact, I have no idea _what_ Tommy plans to do with her."

"Do you think his plans for Damon and his plans for Selina are connected?" Elena asked.

Stella shrugged. "I have no idea. And I don't know a good way to find out, either. Strolling up to him and asking outright is out of the question." She hit the table. "I feel so helpless now, and I don't like it!"

"So I guess we're going to wait and see what happens?" Elena asked.

Stella nodded. "Yes, I guess so. I _would_ try some outlandish plan to save the both of them, but look where it got Junior. Maybe if we watch and wait, there'll be some sort of chink in Tommy's armor. _That's _when we'll make our move."

* * *

Two days later, Tommy woke up smiling. The sun was in the sky, the birds were singing, it would be a good day. He got out of bed and walked to the room where he'd left Selina. He heard growling and straining inside that would frighten a normal person, but it just made him smile. He unlocked the door and went inside. The room was in shambles; sheets and pillowcases were torn to shreds, the pillows leaking their feathers. The wall paper was stained with red and as torn up as the sheets. He looked around for the person responsible for the destruction. He didn't have to wait long.

A moment later, she charged him, knocking him backward onto the floor, her fangs bared, drool dripping from her mouth. Her hair was a mess, her skin was chalky, she had shadows under her eyes, and her robe was a mass of wrinkles. "Blood," she breathed. "I need blood."

He pushed her away and sent her flying against the bed. She hit, but it was her back that took the impact, not her head. She looked up at him and hissed angrily. "Be patient," he told her. "You'll have blood in a little while. But first, we need to get you cleaned up." He pulled her up and took her into the connecting bathroom, stripping off her robe and shoving her in the shower. "Be sure you wash _everything_," he told her.  
"We want you to look good for the reunion."

When she'd cleaned herself up and looked good enough to pass Tommy's inspection, he sat her down on the bed and came back a few minutes later carrying a dark blue tank top, a gauzy blue short-sleeved blouse, and a short black skirt. "Put these on," he ordered. "Once you're dressed, we'll go get your shoes, and then you're going to be getting your surprise."

While she dressed, he left her and headed down to the basement and her husband. "Hello," he said to Damon who was still tied to the table. "Do you realize what today is?"

"No," Damon groaned. "Why the hell does it matter anymore?" They'd had to continue the vervain treatment a lot longer than Tommy had expected because his rival was surprisingly strong-willed.

"I would think today would be especially significant to you," Tommy said. "You're going to see Selina in a little while."

Tommy nodded and ordered Michael to untie their captive, which he did grudgingly. Damon sat up gingerly and winced. Then he looked at Tommy. "May I ask the reason for this sudden generosity, or should I just be grateful?"

"No," Tommy shook his head. "You can ask. Selina's been asking about you a lot lately, so I figured I would grant her request to come and see you."

"She asked for me?" Damon said.

Tommy nodded. "Of course; she loves you, remember?"

Damon slowly got off the table and began walking around the room. "Wait here," Tommy said. "She's been dressing up nice, but I'm going to go get her." He left the room and headed upstairs, back to the room where Selina stood waiting. "Where's the blood?" She asked. "I'm hungry."

"Right this way," Tommy said, grinning wolfishly. "You know my darling, you clean up nicely."

Selina just glared at him and scoffed, heading down the stairs first. She entered the basement and that moment, Damon stopped pacing. "Selina!" he said, running over to her and putting his arms around her. But she didn't respond like he thought she would. He pulled away and looked at her for a moment. There was something wrong with her, something in her eyes…suddenly, she hissed and threw him against the table. Her fangs were bared and she was about to bite into his neck when something made her pause. She slowly pulled away and looked at him again. He locked eyes with her and didn't blink. Then, she slowly nodded and roughly pushed him away. Then, she rushed Michael, knocking him down hard on the floor and gnawing at his throat. As Michael winced and cried out in pain, Tommy cried out in frustration and pulled her off him. Then, Tommy turned Selina, who was still thrashing and gnashing, and shoved her at Damon, making her land squarely on top of him.

She looked at him, and for a moment, Damon thought she was going to let him go again. But instead, she drove her fangs into his throat. As he cried out, she brought her head up and started to cry. Then, she got up off him, pulled him up, and pushed him on to the table. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Then, she took her nails and raked them over his chest. As the blood spurted, she lapped it up, the salt in her tears mixing with the blood pooling on his body. Finally, she collapsed in a heap beside his prone and bleeding body, her own racked with sobs.

As soon as she fell, Tommy walked over to her and gathered her up. "I'm going to take her upstairs," he told Michael, who was looking ill. "Watch him to see if he moves. If he does, hit him with something."

Once Tommy was clear of the basement, he walked back to the room where Jonas stood waiting. As Tommy entered, he asked, "are we administering the other part of the potion now?"

"Yes," Tommy nodded, sitting the still-sobbing Selina down in a chair. "I think it would be best to do it now."

Jonas nodded. As he watched Tommy put the rest of the potion down Selina's throat, he said "tell me when she's fast asleep and I'll do the rest of what you asked."

Tommy put a hand on Jonas's shoulder. "Thank you. With the rest of it done, she'll be in a place where that husband of hers hates her with all his hear, so she'll be all mine," he said before he carried the now unconscious Selina out of the room and put her in his bed. "Good night," he whispered. "I'll see you later."

* * *

The next morning, Selina woke up to something strange. She turned over in bed and saw Tommy next to her. Then, she got out of bed to look out the full-length windows and things got stranger; a much more natural landscape met her eyes. Her neighbors were dressed in suits even though it was morning, the women in dresses with bustles and overly elaborate hats. She shrugged it off and headed back to bed, thinking that the Founders' Council had decided to celebrate Founders' Day early or something. Then, her eye caught the calendar on the bedside table. It read June, 16th was circled.

She put the calendar down and shook Tommy awake. "Tommy," she whispered. "Tommy, something's happened."

Tommy sat up, smiled and put his arms around her. "What's the matter?" He asked. "Are you unwell?"

She picked up the calendar again and showed it to him. "This says it's June 16, 1866 today; but it can't be. When I went to bed yesterday, it was 2011."

Tommy's eyes widened. "2011? My goodness, dear; I will definitely be leaving you in Grace's care when I leave for work. Clearly, the emotion of our wedding yesterday has overwhelmed you and made you think strange things. I'm going to instruct Grace to not let you leave your bed today. You need your rest. We have people coming to help us celebrate tonight."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I'm fine, Tommy; I don't need rest. Tell me what you did, because I know you did something. How else could it be 2011 when I go to bed and 1866 when I wake up in the morning?

Tommy just looked at her pityingly. "I don't know what you're talking about, darling; but if you say you don't need rest, I'm not going to force you." He put a hand on her shoulder, then headed out the door, catching a servant on the way out, presumably asking about the whereabouts of Grace, whoever she was.

Once he was gone, Selina sat down on the bed and tried to figure out what was going on. She still hadn't come up with anything when there was a perfunctory knock on the door and an old woman with a forbidding face and a starched black uniform entered the room. "The Master says I am to watch over you," she said. "He says you are ill."

Selina looked up at her. "I'm not ill," she said quickly. "In fact, I'd like to go outside, if I may."

"No, Miss," Grace shook her head. "You'll not be going outside. The air is bad for you. And it could ruin your complexion; think of all the guests you have coming tonight. You wouldn't want to be an embarrassment to the Master who loves you so well."

Selina cleared her throat. "If _the Master_, as you call him, loves me like he claims to, he will love me as I am, flaws and all. He won't want me to stop doing the things I love just to conform to foolish social convention. Now I'm going to go outside Grace, and you are going to help me dress. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss," Grace said mechanically. She went over to Selina's closet, which had been stocked somehow with perfectly-fitting clothes, and pulled out a white dress with a pattern of blue forget-me-nots all over it. She laid it out and then went to get the rest of the equipment to go with the dress. "Leave the hoop out if you will, Grace," Selina said when the older woman brought it out. "Hoops are so restrictive."

"That's the fashion, Miss," Grace said. "You must wear the hoops."

Selina shook her head. "No, I mustn't if I don't have to. The corset's bad enough as it is."

It took a bit of cajoling and many angry words from Grace, but Selina finally convinced her to forgo the hoops when Selina agreed to wear a hat to protect her face from the sun. Grace eyed her balefully as she headed out into the morning sunshine. Taking a deep breath, she began to spin around the yard, laughing like a little girl. Then, she decided to head into the woods to pick some wildflowers. She'd just come across a lovely bunch of blue ones when she heard a noise behind her. She was about to turn around when things suddenly got quiet again and she turned back to the flowers, thinking she'd just imagined the noise. Then, she felt the hands around her waist and the breath on her neck. She elbowed her attacker in the gut hard enough to send him flying backwards. When she turned to see who it was, she gasped.

At the same time, they both breathed "_You."_ After she'd had enough time to look at him, she said "So, Mr. Salvatore, would you like to try again? It shouldn't be difficult to beat a girl, after all."

He ran at her and she pushed him to the ground, landing on top of him. He looked at her and she sensed a sort of excitement coming from him. "It surprises me that you would try to fight me, Damon," she told him. "You trained me too well to lose to anyone, even you. I've never fought a fight where I haven't come out on top."

He laughed. "You're making it very difficult for me to breath," he said. She smiled and backed up a little. "It's not me," she said as she slowly pulled his suspenders off his shoulders and peeled away his shirt. "It's your clothes. They're so restrictive."

Once he was shirtless, she got off him and let him stand up. He began to pace around. "So," he said. "You're back."

"I am," she nodded, picking at a loose thread on his shirt. "You really should take better care of your clothes, you know. These have to last you awhile now that everyone thinks you're dead so you can't stroll over to the tailor's like everyone else."

"Good God," he said. "It's like we're already married."

She eyed him critically. "Can I assume that since you're now resorting to attacking innocent girls in the woods that your lady love Katherine has left you?"

He paid no attention to that remark, but instead eyed her as critically as she had been eyeing him a moment before. "Isn't that dress a little sedate for you, Selina?"

She glowered at him. "I had a fight with my maid this morning that ended with me having no choice in the matter; but at least I didn't have to wear the hoops."

"And as for Katherine," he said, "she didn't leave me; she was killed when the townspeople gathered up all the vampires, threw them in the church and set them on fire."

"Oh, my," Selina said sarcastically. "What a loss that is to the world."

Damon advanced on her. "You have no idea what it was like," he said. "What with you and Doctor Stensrund living cozily who knows where?"

"_What?" _Selina asked. "I never lived cozily with Doctor Stensrund! At least not in the sense I think you mean it. It hurts me that you would even mention such a thing!"

"Then why weren't you at home when I got back after I announced I quit the army?" Damon asked. "I came back for _you_, and you weren't there!"

"Some things came up," Selina shot back. "And Doctor Stensrund was the only one who could help me through them."

"Oh, I _am _sure," Damon scoffed. "What could they possibly be?"

"Well," Selina told him, "for one, Emily used her 'powers' to make me ill with scarlet fever, so I had to see him about that; and when he was examining me for scarlet fever, he found something else too. Something that took longer to take care of than just giving me his blood; something that will be of great interest to you when you see it, as well as make you feel like the biggest fool in the world!"

"Where must we go to see this marvelous wonder?" Damon asked.

"Have you been watching your house?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Damon nodded.

"Is your father home?" Selina asked.

Damon shook his head. "He left to see about land he's thinking about making a down payment on in Atlanta and won't be back until next week."

"Good!" Selina said brightly, taking his hand. "We can go and see it now!"

"Wait a minute," Damon said quickly. "The surprise is at my father's house?"

Selina nodded. "I had it for about a month, but then Doctor Stensrund lost his head and brought it to your father."

They reached the Salvatore Estate and got inside. Then, Selina found a maid in the hall and asked her a question: "Where's Master Joshua?" The maid, whose name was Sadie, took them upstairs, but before they entered the nursery, Selina told Damon to close his eyes. Damon obeyed, then Selina had Sadie open the door. Selina took Damon's hand and led him inside. Joshua was sitting on the floor playing with a ball under the watchful eye of his nanny who was doing her knitting. Selina gave the nanny a smile, and then picked up Joshua, saying to Damon, "Open your eyes."

Damon opened his eyes and when he saw where he was and that Selina was holding a small child with big blue eyes and brown hair, he looked at her in amazement. "That's a child," he said, dumbstruck. "Where did it come from?"

"Us," Selina said simply. "On the day you left, we conceived and this boy is the result. I had him a week before Christmas two years ago, which is why I wasn't home when you showed up; Doctor Stensrund didn't think it was wise for me to be out and about in my condition, especially since our parents didn't even know I was expecting. She smiled and held him out. "Can you believe it? This is your son. Do you want to hold him?"

Damon looked from Selina to the boy she held, his son, then dropped down on one knee. "Lina," he said, "I love you. Will you marry me?"


	23. Waterloo

"_Wha_t?" Selina asked, stunned. She set Joshua down on the floor, and then looked at the nanny, who was watching them with wide eyes. Selina turned to look at her. "You may go," she said quickly. The woman left and Selina turned back to Damon. "Repeat what you just said, please."

"Will you marry me?" He asked again.

Selina cleared her throat. "You asked me that two years ago and I already said yes."

"I know," Damon said, standing up. "But when I asked you the first time, I meant it for sometime in the future, after I got back from the service. This time, I mean right now."

Selina's eyes widened. "_Right now?_"

Damon nodded and picked up Joshua, moving so that their faces were right next to each other. Then, the two of them gave her identical grins. "Please?" Damon said.

Selina laughed. "That's pretty convincing. I shouldn't be able to say no to that."

Damon became serious. "Are you planning to say no? Why?"

Selina bit her lip. "That's just it; I _really _don't want to say no. I would love nothing more than to marry you and have the three of us live happily ever after, but unfortunately, you're about 146 years too late for that."

Damon was frowning now. "Lina, what are you saying? If this is because of what happened with Katherine—"

"It isn't," Selina cut him off. "Well," she reconsidered. "It sort of is, but it's not. It's just really complicated, and if I told you the _real_ reason why I couldn't marry you, you probably wouldn't believe me." She sat down in a rocking chair next to a window covered by white curtains.

Damon's face changed; shifting Joshua to one arm, he dragged a small chair next to Selina's and sat down with Joshua on his lap. "After becoming a vampire, I'm willing to believe anything, so do your best to explain why you won't marry me; I'm not going to let this go without a good reason."

Selina nodded and bit her thumbnail. "All right," she said at last. "I can't marry you because—" she paused while she moved the sleeve back from her right hand and presented it to him, making sure he got a good look at the ring she wore, the same ring that was in the box he'd held a moment before. "—because we're already married. Does this ring look familiar to you?"

"Yes," Damon said. He looked stunned. "Where did you get this? Because I still have it."

Selina sighed. "That's the part that's difficult to explain, but I'll do my best, because you really do deserve an explanation. See, I'm not the same person you left behind. I've had more than a century to experience the world and learn from my mistakes; I've grown up, I've changed."

"And?" Damon asked. "What are you trying to say?"

"Well," Selina told him, "I'm trying to tell you that this isn't my time anymore; when I went to bed last night, it was 2010, and when I woke up this morning, the calendar on my bedside table said 1866."

Damon burst out laughing. "Are you honestly trying to tell me that you're some future version of yourself come here? Why would you want to do that?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know how it happened. My last memories of my own time aren't so good, though."

Damon's eyebrow went up. "I'm not saying I believe you, but just because I'm curious, what _are_ the last memories you have of 'your own time'?"

"I remember hurting you," Selina said quietly. "The same man who claims to be married to me now, drugged me and locked me in a bedroom for three days so I was unable to feed. Before that, he'd locked you in his basement and tortured you with vervain so you'd be so weak you wouldn't struggle much when he let me, wracked with bloodlust, into the basement to rip you to pieces to make the bloodlust go away."

"Why would this man want to torture me so much?" Damon asked. "Or you?"

"Well," Selina told him, "I _was _legitimately married to him for awhile, but then he left me. Then, he came back and wanted to restart the relationship, but you and me were getting along so well that I couldn't commit to him the way he wanted, and that made him a wee bit vengeful toward the both of us. And, I kind of made him think he had a chance with me when I stormed into his house mad at you as all get out and demanded that he make me forget everything that you and I ever did together."

Damon looked hurt. "Why would you _do_ that? I thought you said we were getting along well."

"We were," Selina assured him. "Then, things happened, nothing bad between us of course, but Katherine came back and started trouble for me so that you thought it might be best for me to go away for a little while. Then, once I was gone, you got lonely, went out drinking, picked up this other woman—"

"Wait," Damon put up a hand. "You were gone before I did this, right?"

Selina nodded. "Of course I was; otherwise, I would have beaten the living daylights out of you, and don't think I can't."

Damon nodded. "From how you handled yourself in the woods, I don't doubt it."

"Anyway," Selina continued, "I left Mystic Falls and headed to New Jersey which is where you planned for me to hide out, but there were even _more _problems there, which forced me to have to call your brother to bring us back to Mystic Falls. He tried to call you to tell you, but you didn't answer your phone and—"

"Call me?" Damon asked, looking blank. "What does _that _mean?"

"That's right," Selina said to herself. "Phones haven't been invented yet, so he has no idea what I'm talking about." She looked at him. "A phone is a device that allows people to talk to each other from a distance away," she explained. "They'll be invented in ten years, and they'll change the world. Now, in my time, we have versions of phones that are so small you can carry them around in your pocket or your bag and practically everybody has one. You were at home with your 'company' when we left New Jersey, and Stefan tried to call you and let you know, but since you didn't answer your phone, I walked in on you and the other woman in the bathtub together."

Damon's eyes widened. "Not very good at covering my tracks, am I?" He asked dryly.

"No," Selina shook her head. "I have a question; I want you to answer me honestly, and I won't get mad if you say yes, I promise."

Damon nodded.

"Did you ever seek out the company of other women while you were with the army?" Selina asked.

Damon took a deep breath and nodded. "I did," he said. "It gets awfully lonely sometimes."

Selina nodded. "And _why _did you seek out the company of these other women?" At that point, Joshua began to squirm. Damon put him down and he began to toddle unsteadily around the room.

"It might sound strange," Damon said after tearing his eyes away from his son to look back at Selina, "but the reason why I sought them out was because I missed _you._ You're the person that I want to spend the rest of my life with and being away from you was one of the most difficult experiences I've ever had. And the other women I was with were very poor substitutes for you."

"Really?" Selina asked in surprise.

He nodded. "I don't know why this surprises you. I would have thought you would have figured that out by now."

"The sentiment doesn't surprise me," Selina assured him. "Because believe me, I feel the same way about you. What surprises me is that you actually _said _it out loud; in my time, you never would."

"Why in the world not?" Damon asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know; I just don't think you're that open anymore. What happened with Katherine changed you somehow; Katherine, and your brother."

Damon sighed. "I just don't know about Stefan; he's going to get himself killed some day."

"Thank you," Selina said suddenly.

"Why?" Damon asked.

"For explaining what happened," Selina said. "Or rather _why _it happened; it's practically the same situation, only instead of the army, I had to go hide out in New Jersey and you thought I was going to be gone a lot longer than I was. You got lonely, hence the dumb-as-a-bag-of-hammers news reporter in our bathtub."

"Exactly," Damon nodded.

"And here's something else I realized too," Selina told him. "I've been horrible to you. Every time I come across some girl you've been with either in the past or the present, I just storm off. I don't give you a chance to explain or anything." She shook her head. "I don't know why you put up with me."

Damon just smiled. "Come here," he told her. She came toward him and he put his arms around her. "I put up with you because I love and I think you're wonderful and exciting and you give me someone to take care of and a reason to be good. And if you think about it, we pretty much knew our whole lives that we were going to marry, right?"

Selina nodded. "Of course."

"So it's perfectly natural for you to feel some hurt when you see me with someone else. Can I assume that I have a similar reaction when dealing with your former lovers?"

Selina smiled. "Oh, yes. You certainly do. The man that I married after we separated, I recently found out that he's a vampire as well and you _hate _him," she said. "Not to mention the fact that Michael's descendants still inhabit Mystic Falls in my time."

Damon frowned. "And do they think ill of me and try to control you as well?"

"Some of them," Selina nodded. "But you've actually managed to make peace with one, if you can believe that."

Damon shook his head. "I can't. I refuse."

"Anyway," Selina said, "I should probably leave and figure out what happened here before I take leave of my senses and decide to stay permanently." She gave Damon a hug. "I've missed you," she told him. "Thanks for setting me straight."

He nodded. "I _would _be upset that you're leaving," he told her. "But it's probably for the best. The three of us probably couldn't live together very easily as a family. For one thing, Father wouldn't allow it; he would probably consider me a corruptive influence."

Selina smiled. "And for another," she said, picking up Joshua who had fallen down and was opening up his mouth to wail, "Joshua needs to have a normal life; grow up, fall in love, get married, grow old with the girl he loves, die. I realize that it's wrong to live vicariously through your children, but I think he should experience everything we never did…at least not as humans." She hugged Joshua close and gazed at Damon. "Do you agree?" She asked.

Damon nodded, putting his arms around both of them. "Of course I do."

Selina put Joshua in his bed and turned back to Damon. "I get to meet him, you know," she said. "After he's all grown up. He's so sweet and he looks remarkably like you. And he makes up a second version of that horrible 'Lady in Red' story everyone associates with me so that I'm victim, not vixen. Sweet of him, don't you think?"

Damon nodded. "Yes," he said, putting his arms around her. Then, after a moment, he let her go and turned her around so that they were facing each other, holding her at arms' length. "Take care of me," he said.

Selina nodded. "I will." Then, her voice cracked, tears began streaming in rivulets down her cheeks. She threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirtfront. "Tell me why this had to happen," she sobbed. "This just isn't fair! This is how things were _supposed _to be! We were supposed to get married, have children, grow old together and die. But Katherine messed it all up."

"I know," Damon said softly, trying to calm her. "But, and it pains me deeply to tell you this, "what happened in the past, happened. And there's nothing we can do to change it. The only thing we can do is go forward."

Selina looked up at him and he wiped tears off her cheeks. "I love you," she said. "Never forget that."

He nodded. "I love you too. But this isn't goodbye; you'll see me when you get back to your own time."

She nodded. "I know. But it won't be quite the same."

* * *

Stella called Stefan the next day to report that both Tommy and Selina had vanished. "We just don't know where they went," she said. "But on the bright side, Junior's no longer in danger. I think it might be best if you came and brought him back to the boardinghouse."

"All right," Stefan said. "I'll be over in a few minutes."

"Who was that?" Elena asked.

"It was Stella," Stefan said. "Apparently Tommy and Selina have disappeared, but she says that it's safe to bring Damon back here so that's what I'm going to do. After I beat Michael to within an inch of his life, of course."

Elena bit her lip on a smile. "All right, but don't bruise him too badly. Tyler's going to need his body back at some point and it wouldn't do to give him one that's all bruised and broken." Just then, Elena's phone rang. It was Isobel. Elena listened for a few moments then turned the phone off without saying goodbye. "Do you want to come with me to Stella's?" Stefan asked.

Elena shook her head. "Normally I would, but Jenna called; she needs me at home. Something with Jeremy and romantic problems, I don't know."

"All right," Stefan said. "Call me when you get home so I know you got there without any problems." They said goodbye. Elena got into her car and headed for Doctor Stensrund's, and Stefan got into _his_ car and headed for Stella's.

* * *

"So," Isobel said as soon as Elena opened the door. "What news do you have to report?"

"Nothing," Elena said quickly.

"I doubt it," Katherine said. "She probably knows something really juicy but doesn't want to tell us because it'll destroy her and Selina's precious relationship."

Elena shut her eyes. "Not everyone is as good at stabbing their friends in the back as you are," she said at last.

"Elena," John said, "if Selina and her group are planning _anything _at all to hurt you, we have to know about it so we can prevent it."

"They aren't plotting against me!" Elena burst out. "So far, the only person that's been hurt is Selina. And Damon too. One of Selina's old boyfriends is an Original, and Selina got him to compel her to forget Damon after Selina caught him cheating on her. Then, Damon made this harebrained attempt to make Selina fall in love with him again, which resulted in the two of them being caught in bed together, and then Tommy, that's Selina's ex's name, dragged Damon to the basement of Stella's hideout and let Selina's cousin Michael dump vervain all over him so he'd be weak when Selina showed up after being starved of blood for three days and attacked him."

"Wait," Katherine said. "Selina had her ex-boyfriend compel her to forget her entire relationship with Damon?"

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "Stefan talked about him after it happened and she thought Damon was a figment of Stefan's imagination. It was kind of funny."

"What do you know about Tommy?" Kathrine asked.

Elena shrugged. "Not much. He seemed nice enough before, even after I found out he was a vampire."

"He's not _just _a vampire," John told her. "He's an Original. That's how he was able to compel Selina to forget Damon; if Stella and Selina have Originals on their side, then we have more to worry about than I thought."

"I knew he was an Original," Elena said. "I just forgot to mention it."

"That's not what we should be dealing with right now," Isobel said. "If Selina's got amnesia about Damon, we could use that to our advantage."

"How?" Elena asked suspiciously.

"Well," John said, "she doesn't know who I am, so I could ask her out for drinks or something, and if I played my cards right, she might tell me about what's going on behind Stella's walls."

"Oh, God!" Elena burst out, looking disgustedly first at Isobel then at John. "Isn't it bad enough that I have to deal with the fact that Damon was the one who turned you _and _the fact that you slept with him?" She asked the former. Then, she glared at John. "There is no way in hell that you are going anywhere _near_ Selina. Besides, even if you did, she'd be smart enough not to tell you anything."

"I don't know," Isobel said slyly. "When we started this little venture, you said you weren't going to tell us anything either. But now we're just getting _loads_ of stuff out of you. Selina shouldn't be any different."

* * *

Selina left the Salvatore Estate and headed back to Tommy's house. She had quite a few things to ask him. But she decided it would be best to thank him first. She arrived at the house and opened the door. She found him in the library reading a book. "Thank you," she said, hugging him. "I don't know how you brought us back in time, but you are a _genius_."

"Thank you," he said. "I thought it was a brilliant idea. What would be a better way to rekindle our romance then to have a warlock in my employ cast a spell to send you and me back to the day after we married?"

Selina felt her heart sink. She pulled away. "Rekindle _our_ romance?" she said quietly.

"Yes," Tommy nodded. "Selina, what's the matter?"

"I thought you brought me back here so that Damon and I could reconcile," she said. "I ran into him in the woods today, and we went back to his house and talked things over and I introduced him to his son. It was a very productive day."

Tommy frowned. "Why would you think I would bring you back in time so you could reconcile with another man?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know; but it's what happened." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that when we first met, I misled you by saying that my husband was dead when he wasn't. I'm sorry that I made you feel used and upset. I didn't mean to."

Tommy locked eyes with her. "You really love him, don't you?"

Selina nodded. "And I don't think any amount of compulsion or time travel is going to change that."

"All right," Tommy said finally. He picked up a small vase that was on the bedside table. "Break this," he told her. "It's the anchor object that's keeping us here. I don't see any reason to stay now. I'm going to go upstairs."

"Should I wait for you?" Selina asked him.

Tommy shook his head. "No. Just go, I'll be fine."

She nodded and he left the room. As soon as he was gone, she stood in silence, staring at the vase for a second. Then, she held it up. But just as she was about to drop it, she heard a terrible cry. She put the vase down and ran to one of the side rooms off the library. Then, she screamed. Tommy was sprawled out on the floor, motionless, a makeshift stake protruding from his chest. She ran towards him and tried to rouse him, but he was still. She looked up and saw that he'd made the stake out of part of the hat rack in the corner of the room.

After a few more moments of trying to rouse him, she gave up, stood up from the floor, and sighed, heading back to the library. There was nothing she could do now but go home.


	24. Every Rose Has Its Thorn

Selina went into the library and grabbed the vase, throwing it down hard on the floor. It shattered and the room filled with light, and she was thrown down to the ground hard. A moment later, everything became quiet and she sat up, running her fingers through her dark hair. "God," she whispered to herself. "I hope I made it back all right. She looked around and realized to her surprise that she was in another library, hopefully one that was at Stella's. She stood up slowly to make sure nothing was broken, and when she was sure she'd made it back in one piece, she took a deep breath and strode toward the door. But just as she reached for the handle, the door opened and she jumped back. Elijah and Stella, who were on the other side, started as well.

"When did you come in here?" Stella asked. "Where did you and Tommy _go_? Are you all right?" She looked Selina over and snorted at the sight of her.

"What's so funny?" Selina asked, frowning.

Stella did her best to keep a straight face. "Look down at yourself," she said. "Do you notice what you're wearing?"

Selina looked down. She was still wearing the dress that Grace had all but forced her into."Jeepers," she breathed. "I should probably go upstairs and change before I go anywhere else. People will think I'm nuts otherwise."

"Actually," Stella told her, "I suggest you wear it home. Junior had a rough time of it and we told Stefan to come and take him back to the boardinghouse to recover, so that's where he is. It might cheer him up."

"Ah," Selina nodded. "What about Michael?"

"Stefan beat the hell out of him," Stella said simply. "He was just a mess by the end of it. But he'll recover. We sent him home too."

"As for where _I _was," Selina said, looking at Elijah, "Tommy had one of your wizards do a spell that sent him and me (Tommy, not the wizard), back to 1866, the day after we got married. Tommy's intention was to have us be in a time when Junior and I didn't get along so that I wouldn't get distracted and focus all my attention on Tommy, but it didn't work out. The only thing that came out of it was that the whole experience made me realize how much I love Junior. When Tommy finally realized that there would never be anything between us, he committed Roman suicide with a stake made from part of a wooden hat rack."

"_Really_?" Asked Elijah, frowning. "Are you certain that he's dead?"

"Of course," Selina said in surprise. "I tried forever to rouse him, but didn't have any luck."

"Do you know something we don't?" Stella asked him. He shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Well," Selina cleared her throat and pulled up her skirts. "I'll just go up and grab some of my stuff before heading back to the boardinghouse, shall I?"

Stella nodded. "I'll drive you," she said.

Selina looked down at her dress. "If I'm not going to change, I'm not so sure I'm going to _fit_ into a car."

"You two can walk," Elijah told them. "I'll come with you. It's no trouble."

"Thanks," Selina said. She headed out the library door with Stella following behind and Elijah bringing up the rear. They went up to Selina's room, but on the way there, Selina stopped by Tommy's room and stared inside mournfully for a moment, and then turned away.

"Are you going to be all right?" Stella asked her when she came into the room and began to throw clothes into a bag.

"Sure," Selina nodded. "I'll be all right, thanks." Finally, the bag was full of clothes. She shut it and Elijah took it from her. "Are we ready to go?" He asked.

"Sure," Stella said. "Let's go." Selina nodded and followed them out of the house. They walked until they ended up at the boardinghouse. Selina knocked on the door and a little while later, Stefan opened it.

"Hi," he said. "Where have you been?"

"It's a long story," Selina said. "Can we come in?"

"Sure," Stefan nodded, gesturing inside.

"Actually," Stella said, "based on what happened with Tommy, we—" she gestured between herself and Elijah,"—should probably get back to the house."

Elijah handed Selina her bag. "Watch out for yourself," was all he said before he and Stella went on their way.

"So," Selina said as she sat down in one of the living room chairs and put her bag down beside her, "aren't you curious about why I'm dressed this way?"

Stefan shook his head. "Not really, seeing as that's how you were dressed practically all of our human lives. What was Stella talking about when she said 'based on what happened with Tommy'?"

"She was referring to the fact that he's dead," Selina said. "Tommy is no more."

"Really?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "You don't have to pretend you're sorry; I know you aren't."

"Of course I am," Stefan said. "He was someone who meant a lot to you at a point in your existence that was very difficult and now you've lost him. That can't feel too good."

"Yeah," Selina shrugged. "But at least I still have your brother. And even though my being dressed this way isn't all that strange to you, I still want to tell you how it happened because you'll find it delightful: apparently, Tommy got it into his head that if he brought me back to the time period where the two of us were married and Damon and I were estranged, then I would love him forever. That was 1866, FYI. And one of Tommy's wizard pals cast the time travel spell. Anyway, so Tommy goes off to work and after wrestling with my maid and getting laced into this horrible outfit, I decide I want to go out to the woods just to think you know? But then I almost get attacked. Guess by whom?"

Stefan smiled. "Damon?"

"Indeed." Selina smiled back.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked. "You didn't beat him up too badly, did you?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "But I _did_ force him to have a frank discussion with me about why I wasn't at your house when he got back from the army. And then, since your father wasn't home, we snuck into your house and I introduced him to Joshua, and it was one of the most warm, fuzzy moments of my entire existence. Of course then Damon got so overcome with emotion that he actually proposed to me again."

"What did you do?" Stefan asked.

"Well," Selina shifted in her chair. "Honestly, I _almost _said yes. Because if I would have, then everything would have turned out properly, you know? A one-hundred-forty-five year dry spell is something I definitely could have lived without. But common sense prevailed when I showed him the ring and explained why I had it already and where I'd come from. He believed me right away, surprisingly. Then, we both agreed that Joshua had to grow up and live his life, and then Damon sent me on my way."

"That must have been incredibly difficult," Stefan said, taking her hand. "Are you all right?"

Selina nodded. "Yes, thank you." She released his hand and looked toward the stairway. "Is your brother upstairs?"

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. He's mostly recovered now."

"Good," Selina said, standing up and heading up the stairs. She strode to her and Damon's mutual bedroom and opened the door just a crack, peeking inside.

"Whoever it is, you can come in," Damon said.

Selina opened the door the rest of the way and entered the room. "All right," she said. "I just wanted to make sure you were in here."

"I am," he said. "After what you did to me, I haven't really had the strength to move anywhere else."

"I'm sorry," she said. "But that wasn't really my fault. I'd been starved for three days. That's the point when you lose control."

"I didn't say it was your fault," Damon said. "I was just making an observation."

Selina looked around the room. "Things look different in here," she said. "When did we get new furniture?"

"We didn't get new furniture," Damon said. "This is the stuff we've always had."

"No it isn't," Selina shook her head. "What happened to the old stuff, Damon? Did you do something to it?"

"This is the same stuff we've always had," Damon repeated. "You just don't remember."

Selina put her hands on her hips and leaned in so that they were nearly nose to nose. "I remember a lot more than you think I do," she said. "Your name is Damon Salvatore, you're my husband, we got engaged in 1864, but we didn't get married until six months ago in Vegas, with Elena, Stefan, Jenna and Alaric as our witnesses."

"You remember that?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I had a little blast from the past that helped bring everything back. So stop bullshitting me and tell me what happened with the old furniture!"

At that point, he burst out laughing. "I fail to see what's so funny," she said coldly.

"It's just humorous to see you dressed like that and hear you talk like you're talking. They don't go together. As for the furniture, I destroyed it," Damon said.

"What do you mean, you destroyed it?" Selina asked.

"Well," Damon said, leaning forward, "I wasn't very happy when you were going around town showing people the ring I gave you and telling people it was from Tommy, so I took my anger out on everything in the room. Of course, that was before I realized you were under compulsion and not just being petty and spiteful about Andie."

"Good thing you didn't know that I'd told Tommy to compel me to forget you and that he didn't just decide to do it on his own," Selina said.

"You told him to compel you to forget me?" Damon asked. "Now I don't feel so bad about destroying your room and burning up your memory box."

"You did _what?_" Selina burst out. "Why the hell would you do that? Damn, you are _so_ selfish sometimes, I just—" then, she broke off. Suddenly, the words Damon had spoken to her in 1866 came rushing back: "_Take care of me."_ She took a deep breath. "All right; can we start all over again? Pretend I'm not here and I didn't say anything I just said."

"Easy enough," Damon said, smirking. "I already have."

Rolling her eyes, Selina left the room and shut the door behind her. A second later, she opened it again, strode over to the bed, and smiled. "Hello," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," he said. "Just a little sore." She nodded, leaned forward and kissed him deeply. As she pulled away, he grinned. "What was that for?"

"Because I'm a dork and a jerk and a pain in the ass," Selina said, smiling. "And I'm really sorry. I've never been very nice to you; I don't know why you put up with me."

He leaned forward and kissed her back. "I put up with you because you're just as troublesome as I am so if I do something bad, I'll have someone else to pin it on. And I'll admit that it's nice to have someone to take care of. I don't think I'd be as good as I am otherwise."

"Thanks," Selina said, putting her arms around him. "Just so you know I'd sell you out in a second if you tried to pin anything on me."

"Good to know," Damon said. "Good thing there are several other people who we can get to take the blame for stuff." He gently pushed her away. "What's with the dress?" He asked. "Are we going to a costume party later?"

"This?" Selina looked down. "No. Tommy had one of his warlock buddies cast a spell that sent Tommy and me back to 1866; it would have been the perfect plan, because the date was right after he and I got married, thus I should have loved him and hated your guts, but what Tommy didn't count on was me meeting up with you when I was picking flowers in the woods; you tried to attack me and I basically kicked your butt. And then I made you sit down and the two of us had an honest discussion about why I wasn't at home when you got back from the army. Then, since your father wasn't home, we snuck into your house and I introduced you to Joshua. It was really sweet, actually. Of course, then you got so overcome by emotion that you proposed to me again; it was fun worming my way out of that one."

"But you obviously did, because you're here now," Damon said.

"Yep," Selina nodded. "I figured _you_ needed me more, so I came back." She paused, and then said, "and you'll be pleased to know that Tommy's dead now; when he realized that nothing he could do would be powerful enough to make me forget you and love him, he gave up and committed Roman suicide, only with a makeshift stake and not a sword."

"I'm sorry," Damon said.

"Don't be," Selina said after a moment. "It was tough being married to three guys. Now I only have to deal with two."

* * *

Selina met with Elena at the coffee shop later that day to share the good news with her. "Guess what?" Selina said when she and Elena sat down. "I'm all better now. Completely compulsion-free!"

"Really?" Elena asked. "That's good news. Damon knows, right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I saw him earlier today and let him know. I also told him that Tommy died and he was nice enough to at least pretend to be sad for my sake."

"Stefan mentioned that," Elena said. "Did you see the body?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "It was horrible. But then, when I saw Damon, everything just got better, you know? You never realize how important somebody is to you until you forget just how much." At the look on Elena's face, she paused. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"Well," Elena said, "you know how you have your protectors who want to save you from being the sacrifice?"

"Yeah," Selina said slowly. "What about it?"

"Well," Elena said quietly, "I have mine too; Katherine, Isobel, and my Uncle John who's actually my biological father. Despite the fact that I made a vow not to, I might have revealed to them that you had amnesia about you and Damon's relationship and now they're going to try and use that against you. So if I were you, I would just pretend to still have it."

"God," Selina said. "You told people who want to kill me about weak moments of mine that they can exploit and use to their own advantage? I don't believe this! What else have you told them? God, I thought you were my friend, but boy did you have me fooled. Stella was right; I guess I can't trust a Petrova. History might be repeating itself, but this time, I'm _not _going to be the loser. And you can go back and tell Katherine, Isobel and whoever else whatever the hell you want, but just watch your back, because now that I know what you're up to, one misstep and trust me; you will be worse than dead."

* * *

That night, with Elena's betrayal still stinging, Selina headed back to Stella's. By the time she reached the front door, she was sobbing. "What's the matter?" Stella said when she answered it.

"It's Elena," Selina sniffled as Stella hurried her inside. "She finally screwed me over, just as you said she would."

"Who's that?" Another voice called out.

"It's Selina, Damon," Stella called out. He hurried toward them. "Are you all right, Lina?" He asked her. "I hoped you would come back tonight; otherwise we would have come and gotten you."

"I thought you were in Italy," Selina said.

"I was," he nodded. "By the way, my brother says hello and that he wished he could have come with me to meet you, but alas, he was unable to."

"Why?" Stella asked. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No," Stella's husband shook his head. "Stella called me to say that you were in bad trouble and I thought it would be best to come straight here," he said, looking at Selina.

Selina nodded and turned to Stella. "How did you know I was in trouble?"

"The necklace, remember?" Stella said. "Katherine has it, and as long as she does, I have access to everything she says and does as long as I concentrate hard enough. Let's hope she never realizes that or we could lose a very valuable asset."

"So, what do we do now?" Selina asked. "With Elena giving away all my secrets, it will probably have to be something pretty drastic."

"I have an idea," Stella said. "And it _is_ drastic: I want to go see Katherine, confront her. Can I assume you know the location of the place where she's staying? It doesn't look familiar to me."

"I would check out Dr. Stensrund's old house. It's near Elena's and has been abandoned for years," Selina told her. "I _do_ know where it is. Would you like to leave now?"

As they were leaving, they told Stella's husband to wait by the phone in case they got into trouble and needed to be rescued. He wanted to come too; they assured him that he would have his opportunity to confront Katherine, but it would have to wait. They drove to Dr. Stensrund's house and strode up to the doorway, knocking furiously. Finally, the door opened and Katherine stood on the other side. She looked them over and a grin slowly spread across her face. "Stella," she said. "I was wondering when you were going to grace us with your presence."

"Let us in. _Now_," Stella said. "I have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

Katherine nodded. "By all means, come in. It's been _years_ since we've seen each other; we have so much catching up to do."


	25. Winner Takes It All

Glaring at Katherine, Stella went inside the house with Selina following. Katherine led them to a small living room that was dimly lit but had a fire in the small fireplace. "So," she said as Selina and Stella sat down. "What did you want to talk to me about? I assume you didn't just stop by to say hello."

Stella pursed her lips and shook her head. "As a matter of fact, no. We came over because I would like to know what the hell kind of stunt you think you're pulling."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katherine said. "I'm not pulling anything."

"You know what I mean," Stella told her. "What's with getting that girl of yours to spy on Selina and then report to you?"

Katherine walked right in front of Stella and stopped. "How is that pulling something?" Katherine asked. "I'm protecting my doppelganger; I have as much right to as you do. In fact, I seem to be the one who's doing the better job. You, on the other hand, are failing miserably just as you have before. First Andria, then Stefan and Damon; I've gotten to all three; all three have been in your care. Doesn't say much for your track record, does it?" A slow smile spread over her face.

"You bitch," Stella said quietly, standing up. "Have you no heart? Do you care about anyone besides yourself? I don't think you do. I don't even think you're _capable_ of love."

Katherine's smile disappeared. Before Stella could react, Katherine slapped her. As Stella's cheek reddened, she took a deep breath. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that," Stella said as she advanced on her former best friend.

Katherine began to slowly back away, her eyes wide. Just then, Elena entered the living room. "Did I hear Selina and Stella come—" She paused when she saw Katherine and Stella. "Sorry," she said quickly. "Am I interrupting something?"

"_Yes,_" Stella said sharply. "Go away."

With Stella's attention distracted, Katherine moved away, but Stella wasn't diverted for long; with a growl of frustration that brought forth a clap of thunder so loud the house shook, Stella went after Katherine. She caught her in the kitchen, pushing her hard against the kitchen table, knocking her to the floor, and disregarding the ribbon of blood that was flowing freely from her forehead.

By the time Elena and Selina arrived back in the kitchen, Stella was leaning over Katherine, who was gasping in pain and coughing. "What are you _doing_?" Selina cried.

Stella hit Katherine one more time for good measure and then turned to the other two. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I'm doing what I've been meaning to do for over two hundred years."

"But you can't," Selina said. "At least not right now."

"What?" Stella said. "I can't believe I'm hearing this."

"Oh, don't worry," Selina said. "It's not that I've gone soft on her or anything. I'd love to see her dead as much as you do; possibly even more so. But remember we promised Damon that he could have closure before we killed her?"

"That's right," Stella said. "I almost forgot about that." She turned and strode away from Katherine's prone body. "So what do you think we should do with her? Katherine, I mean?"

"I don't think you should do anything," Elena said. "I think you should go away and leave us alone."

"You be quiet," Stella snapped. "I don't believe I was asking you."

"We could always take her as a hostage," Selina said to Stella. "And keep her at the house. I'm sure your husband would be more than happy to keep an eye on her."

"No!" Elena cried out. "Nobody is taking anyone as a hostage. We're all just going to back away quietly and pretend this never happened."

"And why are you sticking up for Katherine or any of your 'protectors' for that matter?" Selina asked. "You hate all of them!"

"That may be," Elena said. "But they're all I've got now that you've threatened to kill me if I breathe."

"And why not?" Selina asked. "Your duplicity almost got me killed!"

"I didn't mean to say anything." Elena protested. "They got me worked up and I accidently blurted it out."

"I've heard rumors that in the past, when a person betrayed their friend to the enemy, they got their tongue cut out," Stella said. "Selina, do you think there are any knives around here?"

"I believe I could find one very easily," Selina told her. "I _did_ spend several weeks cooped up here in the early part of my vampire existence."

"Good," Stella said resolutely. "You find the knife, I'll hold her down, and then you can proceed with the cutting."

Elena's eyes widened. "You really can't be serious," she said, her voice shaking.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't be," Selina said.

"Because this isn't who you are," Elena told her. "Think about what you're saying; If Joshua was here right now, do you think he'd want to see his mother hurt somebody? Jonathan Gilbert told your son that you were a good person in spite of being a vampire; because of them, your reputation was mostly restored in the eyes of the town except in the eyes of a few really select people. Don't do something you might regret later just because you're angry now." She looked at Stella. "And if all this anger is about what Katherine did to Andria, killing her won't bring Andria back; it'll just make you as vicious as Katherine. Do you want that?"

"No," Stella and Selina said balefully at the same time. Then, Stella grabbed Katherine by the hair. "But we're still taking Katherine as a hostage. Don't try to stop us." Elena started to move forward, but thought better of it. Instead, she watched in horror as Stella dragged the motionless Katherine, her hair spattered with blood, out of the house.

"Help me get her," Stella said. "Grab her legs." Selina did so, and together, they brought Katherine down the front steps of the house and threw her in the backseat of Stella's car. "What should we do now?" Selina asked.

Stella smiled. "I don't know. You want to dump her off at the house and go and get a drink?"

Selina nodded. "Sure. Do you think we should call Damon and Junior to let them know we'll be out a little longer?"

Stella shook her head. "If we're going to the house, at least my husband will know where we are; and when he finds out what we're doing, he'll undoubtedly call your husband, and then the two of them will probably take bets on how long it'll take the two of us to get drunk, and try and decide which one is going to come and take us back home."

"Good point," Selina said as Stella started the car. "You know, it's been awhile since I've been good and drunk."

When they arrived at the house with Katherine, they were greeted by Stella's husband, who actually looked shocked. "Did the two of you drink before you went and met up with her?" He asked.

Stella shook her head. "No, but that's just what we plan to do now. I assume you're going to call Junior and let him know about all this?"

"Of course," he said. "I mean, eventually we _will _have to decide who's going to come and get you two because _you_," he said, eyeing Stella, "are not a good driver when you have alcohol in your system."

"You're one to talk," Stella said, handing him Katherine. "How many times have I had to drive _you_ home?"

"I few, I will admit," he said. "But I've never gotten so drunk that I got arrested for public indecency."

"Really?" Selina asked in surprise, looking at Stella. "_You've_ been arrested for public indecency before?"

"Yes," Stella's husband nodded. "And that was _during carnevale,_ so that just tells you how bad it was."

"They blew the whole thing way out of proportion," Stella said. "It wasn't half as bad as they made it out to be; that's why I had to wipe their memories of the whole thing later."

"You consumed the equivalent of two bottles of wine, stripped off your clothes, went streaking through the streets of Venice and ended up skinny-dipping in the canal. What exactly did they blow out of proportion?" Stella's husband asked. He had a smirk on his face that made Selina wonder whether or not he really disapproved.

"You know," Selina said quickly, "I'd like to consume some bottles of _something _right now. Can we go?"

"Sure," Stella said, glaring at her husband. He just smirked and waved them away with a dismissive "have a good evening, ladies".

"We will," Stella shot back. "Don't worry about us." They headed back to her car and sat for a few minutes. "Are there any good drinking places around here?" Stella asked.

"Well," Selina said, "there's O'Neil's on 3rd and West Court. It's not super fancy, but they have alcohol and karaoke, which are both great; especially when the people who are _really_ drunk start singing."

Stella started laughing. "Sounds good; could you tell me how to get there?" Selina nodded and in no time at all, the two of them were at O'Neil's, entering the bar just as a particularly inebriated man in dirty denim coveralls and a trucker hat began belting out "My Heart Will Go On" off-key. "See," Selina whispered, "I told you it would get interesting when the really drunk people started singing."

They headed up to the bar; Stella ordered a Grey Goose martini, Selina a Bay Breeze. They took sips of their drinks and then turned on their barstools to watch the entertainment.

Finally, after four glasses each, both of them were having trouble walking. They were stumbling around the restaurant, with men all hollering at them that they would be more than eager to give them a ride home and a bed for the night. Just when Selina was about to get into a bus with a team of college basketball players, Damon showed up to cart the two of them away. He grabbed Selina's arm and pulled her gently from the bus steps, punching out one of the players who tried to stop him. He got her into the front passenger seat of his car and then went back for Stella, who didn't come as easily. She slapped him hard and pushed him away, insisting that she could get home on her own. Damon made one more attempt to get her to come with him, but it didn't work and he finally gave up, telling her goodbye and driving off with Selina. As soon as they were gone, Stella went behind a tall row of hedges, stripped off her clothes, and ran back to the hideout.

* * *

Damon pulled up the driveway of the boardinghouse and parked the car just in front of the garage. "You need any help coming in?" he asked her.

"No," Selina shook her head. "I can do it." She made to get out of the car and promptly fell on the pavement, scratching her nose up. "Here," Damon said, rolling his eyes as he picked her up. "God, I don't know why I even asked. It's so obvious you're wasted."

"And you know why that is?" Selina asked. "Because people suck, that's why." He carried her all the way to their bedroom and sat her down on their bed. "Do you want to talk about what happened at Katherine's?" He asked. "Stella's husband called me and told me that's where you and Stella had gone."

"Nothing bad happened," Selina said. "I just had to be in the same room as Elena again. I'm not talking to her. She's mean. Oh, and Stella beat the crap out of Katherine and we took her as a hostage."

"Really?" Damon asked. "Where's Katherine now?"

"Stella's husband is watching her," Selina said. "And I assume Stella will want to as well, eventually." She looked at him for a moment, and then threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she said, burying her head in his shoulder. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"No problem," he said in surprise. She usually wasn't this demonstrative, but she was drunk, so that changed things quite a bit. "I just hope Stella got home all right."

* * *

About an hour after he'd called Junior about Stella and Selina needing to be picked up from the bar, there was a knock on the bedroom door of Damon the First. Curiously, he got up to answer it, and just about fell over when he saw who it was.

"Surprise," said, grinning. "Are you surprised to see me?" She was standing with one hand against the door frame completely naked, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Junior offered me a ride home, but I told him I was all right getting here by myself."

"In answer to your question," her husband said when he finally found his voice, "I'm not surprised to see you because I knew you'd come home eventually. I'm just surprised to see _this much_ of you."

She leaned forward and kissed him. His hands came up around her and began running up and down her back. Then, she suddenly pulled away, her face changed. "What's the matter?" he asked.

She didn't say anything, but ran for the bathroom and immediately began to throw up. Stella's husband sighed, stripped down to his boxers and got into bed. He wouldn't worry about Stella. Once she got everything out, she would join him. It wasn't the first time this had happened.

When he woke up the next morning, he saw that Stella's side of the bed was still empty. Getting out of bed, he opened the bathroom door and tried his best not to laugh. Stella, still naked, had fallen asleep curled up on the bathroom floor. He got down on his knees and put a hand on her shoulder. "Good morning, my beautiful Venus," he whispered. She opened her eyes and began to groan. Her head was throbbing. "What the hell did I do last night?" she asked as he helped her sit up. He went back into the bedroom and pulled the sheet off the bed, bringing it into the bathroom so she could cover herself up. "What the hell did I do last night and why in the world did you let me do it?"

"You went and saw Katherine last night," her husband told her. "Some bad things happened. You got upset. You and Selina went out drinking and next thing I know, you show up here completely naked, telling me you refused Junior's offer of a ride home. You must have given quite a few people a hell of an eyeful."

"Wonderful," Stella said, pulling the sheet closer around her. Then, her eyes lit up. "We got Katherine as a hostage, didn't we?" she asked. "Where is she? I want to gloat."

"You might want to shower and dress first," her husband said. "And would you like something for your head?"

"Yes," Stella said. "Just get me an aspirin and a coffee and I'll feel better." After she'd gotten ready, taken the aspirin and drunk the coffee, Stella was in much better form. "I put her in the basement," Stella's husband said. "The same place Tommy and that cousin of Lina's tortured Junior." They went downstairs, and when Stella saw Katherine, sitting in the corner looking angry, she bit her lip on a smile. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Can't you move?"

"No," Katherine squirmed angrily. "That wizard person put some sort of spell on me to keep me down here." She looked up at Stella. "Let me guess: you came to gloat, didn't you?"

Stella nodded.

"I'd enjoy gloating while you can," Katherine said. "Because it won't be for very long; you may have captured me, but remember: I'm not the only one. There are others."

* * *

That same morning, Elena got up to go to the bathroom and on her way back, she passed Jeremy's half-open door; she heard John and Jeremy talking. Curious, she stood by the door, listening to their conversation.

"Your sister's in trouble," John told Jeremy. "And we need your help to protect her."

"I thought that you and her birth mother and Katherine had that all taken care of," Jeremy said.

"We thought we did," John said. "But Katherine got carried off today, and that leaves us one short."

Jeremy nodded. "What would I have to do?"

"Well nothing too complicated," John said. "I just need you to make friends with Selina; you _do_ know her, don't you?"

"Selina Warren?" Jeremy asked. "Of course I do."

"Good," John nodded approvingly. "At school tomorrow, get Selina to open up to you. She and Elena had a fight and now we can't use Elena to get inside information."

"You want me to draw Selina in and then stab her in the back by betraying her trust? No. I won't."

"Yes, you will." John said. "Because you're a Gilbert; it's part of your family legacy to fight and kill vampires. And also because you love your sister."


	26. Why Can't We Be Friends?

Damon had to nudge Selina awake because she refused to listen to her alarm. "It's 8:00 in the morning," he said, shaking her gently. "You have to get up and go to school."

Selina opened one eye and rolled over onto her stomach from her side, facing him. "What if I don't want to go to school?" She asked.

"Tough luck," he said. "You have to. Do you feel all right? Do you need something for your head? I could make you your favorite hangover cure if you'd like."

"Fine," Selina said. "Thanks. My head's throbbing. I don't remember going to bed last night."

"That's hardly surprising," Damon told her. "If I wouldn't have been there to stop you, you would have gone home with the local college basketball team."

"Really?" Selina's eyes sparkled devilishly. "Were they a good-looking team of basketball players?"

He stared at her incredulously. "Selina Amelia Elizabeth Warren, I'm wounded."

She giggled. "I was only kidding. So, hangover cure?"

"Fine," Damon rolled his eyes and left the room. "Despite the fact that you hurt me so badly, I'll go make it for you. I'll be back in a minute."

"I know you're messing with me!" Selina called after him. "I know you're not really hurt!"

As he was on his way out, he ran into Stefan who came in. "How long do you think it will take you to get ready for school?" Stefan asked.

Selina pulled the wine-red comforter aside and got out of bed. "I don't know if I _want_ to go to school today," she told him.

"I can understand that, after the night you had last night. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No," Damon said as he came into the room. "She's just a little hung over, but this will fix her right up."

He handed Selina the glass and she gulped it down, her nose wrinkling. "What the hell do you put in this?" She asked. "It burns my esophagus and makes it very difficult to breathe."

Damon took the glass away. "That may be, but it wakes you up, doesn't it? Now why don't you want to go to school?"

Selina heaved a big sigh. "Because if I go to school, I have to ride in the car with Elena the backstabbing traitor; that's why I don't want to go to school."

"Backstabbing traitor?" Stefan asked. "That seems a little harsh."

Selina put her hands on her hips. "Stefan, she told Katherine, Isobel and that uncle of hers about my Damon amnesia and now they're planning to use it against me."

"And how did you hear about this?" Stefan asked.

Selina headed into the closet and began throwing clothes around. "I heard it from Elena yesterday," she said.

"That's nice of her, don't you think?" Stefan asked. "To tell you about it ahead of time before Katherine and the others had a chance to act on it? That way we can head off anything they do instead of it hitting us out of the blue."

When Selina came out of the closet, she was dressed in a white-and-purple striped blouse and a short jean skirt with light purple ballet flats. "If she would have kept her trap shut in the first place, then we wouldn't have to be planning any counter attacks in the first place."

"You're going to come to school with us," Stefan said. "I expect you to be by the car in ten minutes."

As soon as he was gone, Selina stepped away from the closet and put her arms around Damon. "What do you want?" He asked, gazing at her suspiciously.

She put her head on his right shoulder. "I was just thinking, if I didn't go to school, then we could spend all day doing other things. Wouldn't you like that?" She gazed up at him appealingly.

He gazed at her for a moment before gently pushing her back from him. "You have to go," he said. He slowly turned her around, put a hand in the center of her back, and pushed her out of the bedroom, through the living room, and toward the front door.

When they reached the kitchen, she stopped. "Could I get something from the kitchen really fast?" She asked. I promise I'll come right back."

He followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of bubblegum from the jar full of candy on the counter, unwrapped, it and popped it into her mouth. "Okay," she said around it. "I'm ready to go." This time, she got out the door on her own.

"Nice to see you," Stefan said dryly. "I want you in the back; when we get to Elena's house, I'm going to have her sit next to you so the two of you can work out whatever's wrong."

"I'm not talking to her," Selina said. "So I fail to see what good this is going to do."

"You _are _talking to her," Stefan said as he began driving. "This is all a big misunderstanding and I'm not going to let it turn into Stella and Katherine, part _deux._ Do you really want to lose your best friend because you leapt before you looked?"

"She's not my best friend anymore, Stefan," Selina said. "If she _were_, she wouldn't have ratted me out and put me in a bunch of possible danger."

"_Possible_ being the operative word there," Stefan said. "Nothing's actually happened to you yet, has it?"

"No," Selina admitted grudgingly, crossing her arms and pushing back into the seat. "And Stella and I captured Katherine last night, so she's stuck at the hideout."

"There you go," Stefan said. "Elena's in a lot more danger than you because she has far fewer people on her team and she lost one last night, so you shouldn't be spiteful like this."

"I'll decide when and how spiteful I want to be, thank you very much," Selina said. "Now watch the road; you wouldn't want to miss precious Elena's house."

A few minutes later, they pulled into the Gilbert driveway. Stefan honked the horn and a few minutes later, Elena came running down the stairs. Stefan got out of the car and they ran into each others' arms, kissing, Selina thought, for a little too long."

"You know," she said when they got back into the car, "you two sicken me."

Elena looked up as she fiddled with her seatbelt. "And what the heck is your problem?" She asked. "Did you fall off the wrong side of the bed this morning?"

"Don't mind her," Stefan said quickly. "She and Stella went out drinking last night and she's still recovering from being hung over."

"She knows," Selina said, chewing her gum and blowing a loud bubble. "She was at Doctor Stensrund's house when we caught Katherine."

"I tried to get the two of them to stop," Elena said. "But they just kept right on doing what they were doing."

As Stefan made the turn onto the usual road they took to get to school, he groaned. "The road's closed," he said. "We're going to have to take a detour." He found the alternative route quickly and they weren't thrown off schedule too much. But as they made a particularly sharp turn, Elena let out a squeal. "What's the matter?" Stefan asked, pulling onto the shoulder.

"Selina spit _gum_ in my hair!" Elena shrieked. "It's going to take forever to get out!"

"It's not _that_ difficult," Selina said. "Just chop it all off; you'd look good bald." She laughed. "Besides, it was an accident."

At that moment, Elena stopped trying to get the gum out, grabbed Selina by the shoulders, and rammed her hard against the window. "_That_ was an accident too," she said.

"Damn!" Selina cried out. "That really hurt!" With a strangled cry, she sent her fist plowing straight into Elena's eye. Then, Elena grabbed chunks of Selina's hair and began pulling. As the fight continued, Stefan considered the two of them for a moment, and then thought about whether or not he should try and pull them apart. Finally, he pulled out his phone, dialing Damon's number.

"I'm parked on the shoulder near the Carver Avenue detour," Stefan said. "I need your help _now_. No time to explain what the problem is, at least not if you want us to still have a spouse and girlfriend in the next twenty-ish minutes."

* * *

"What the hell's going on?" Damon asked when he arrived.

"Look," Stefan said, pointing. "Do you think we should try and pull them apart, or should we just let them wear themselves out?"

Damon peered in. He saw that Selina and Elena were still beating on one another. "From the looks of things, it would be safer to just let them wear themselves out. Although I _did _come with another alternative because when you called, I figured it would be something like this."

"What is it?" Stefan asked, then watched in amazement as Damon pulled out a vervain dart. "Cover me," Damon said. "I'm going in." He opened the door, and after getting Selina's elbow in his eye, finally managed to lodge the dart in her back. Swearing, she cried out in pain, then collapsed.

As Damon pulled Selina out of the car and put her in the backseat of his, Elena took several deep breaths. "Are you all right?" Stefan asked. "What's the damage?"

"I believe I gave as good as I got," Elena said weakly. Her clothes were torn, her face was covered in scratches, and her hair was in complete disarray, with the gum now worked in even deeper. But she was smiling.

"You want to go home and change?" Stefan asked. "It couldn't hurt; we're already late for school."

"Thanks," Elena said. "And Jenna's really good with a pair of scissors; maybe I could get her to work on my hair."

* * *

As Stefan and Elena drove back to her house, Damon got into his car and started it up. "How could Stefan be so dumb to put Selina and Elena in the same space when Selina was as upset as she was?" he asked himself. "Did he learn _nothing_ from what happened with Bonnie?"

As they reached the boardinghouse, Damon heard a moan from the backseat. "Why are we home?" Selina asked weakly. "Is school over?"

"No," Damon said as he opened the door and hauled her out. "You behaved very badly so I brought you home. I'm going to drive you back to school later, maybe after lunch. You'll be just in time for history."

"What'd you have to shoot me full of vervain for?" Selina asked.

"You were beating the hell out of Elena," Damon said. "It was the only way to get you off."

"She was beating me up too!" Selina said indignantly. "Or didn't you notice that?"

"I did notice," Damon said. "But since you're the stronger being, it's worse when you do it."

"So am I in time out now?" Selina asked. "Or did you want to take me up on the offer I made this morning?"

"You're in time out," Damon said. "You aren't going to leave your room until I come and you."

"Oh, all right," Selina said. "But if you want to blame somebody for this, blame Stefan; he was the one who put me in the same space as Elena when I was mad at her. After what happened with Bonnie, he should have known better."

"My thoughts exactly," Damon said. "But you still beat up Elena, so go to your room."

Selina rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to help me," she said. "Seeing as you shot me full of vervain; that doesn't put me at my most coordinated."

"Fine." For the second time in two days, he picked her up, carried her up the stairs, took her to her room and dumped her on her bed. Then, he locked the door behind him.

* * *

"What the hell did you do to your hair?" Jenna asked when Elena got back to her house. "And that's just my first question." She looked over at Stefan. "Did you have an accident?" She asked.

Stefan shook his head. "No. Sophia wasn't in the best mood this morning and she took it out on Elena; I had to call Damon to come separate the two of them."

"Ah," Jenna said. She looked at Elena. "Aside from the gummy hair, torn clothes, and scratched up face, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "Could you try and do something about the gum, please?" Jenna nodded and came back with a pair of scissors. Carefully, she cut the gum out and proceeded to even out the rest. In the end, it wasn't the prettiest haircut Elena had ever had, but it wasn't the worst. It stopped at her chin, so it was quite a change.

"Now go up and change your clothes," Jenna said. "Then you two can go back to school."

* * *

Three hours later, Selina was beginning to get restless. She went to her bedroom door and opened it. "Can I come out _now_?" She called.

"No," Damon called back immediately. "I'll bring you a blood bag in fifteen minutes. You drink it and then I'll take you to school."

Shutting her bedroom door, Selina went and sat down on her bed. She stared at the wall and began humming Captain and Tenille songs. After her third run-through of "Muskrat Love," she heard a knock at the door. A moment later, Damon entered, clutching a blood bag in one hand.

"I heard you humming 'Muskrat Love' so I figured I better get up here," he said. "I don't think either of us needs that kind of punishment."

Selina took the blood and after she finished it, she looked up at Damon. "So we're going to school now."

"Yes," Damon nodded. "Get your bag and meet me at the car."

As soon as he was gone, Selina grabbed her bag, but was suddenly struck by a wicked idea. She began to root around in her closet until she located the air horn she'd gotten when she and Tyler had gone to a Baltimore Ravens game. It still had a little noise left in it. She slipped it into her bag and went to meet Damon at his car.

They arrived at school just in time for history. When she entered the room, Alaric stepped away from the board and put his hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?" He asked her quietly. "I heard you had a little upset this morning."

"Of course," Selina said, smiling easily. "I'm just perfect." She went to take a seat, making sure to pick one that was as far from Elena as possible. But as she passed Elena's desk, she was sure to whisper, "nice hair. What happened to it?"

Elena ignored her. Selina sat down and Alaric began his lecture on Roosevelt and the battle of San Juan Hill.

* * *

As soon as history ended, Elena went to her locker. Luckily, it was far from Selina's and she could get her books in peace without wondering about another sneak attack. After she'd gotten most of her books, she heard a noise behind her. She was just about to turn when she heard the shrill honking of an air horn. Startled, she jumped up and hit her head on the wall of her locker. Groaning, she rubbed her head and turned, frowning when she saw Selina, who was laughing uproariously.

"You should have seen the look on your face," Selina said when she finally got a breath. "And when your head hit your locker…oh, that was all I hoped it would be." She sauntered away, throwing the spent air horn in the trash.

"What was _that_ all about?" Jeremy asked as he came toward Elena. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "I'll be fine; Selina's just in a mood today."

"You know," Jeremy told her, "Uncle John asked me to worm my way into Selina's confidence and then squash her like a bug; I wasn't going to do it, but after that little display, I'm having second thoughts."

"I know Uncle John asked you that," Elena said. "I heard the two of you talking this morning."

"Were you planning on telling Selina?" Jeremy asked.

"I _was_," Elena said, narrowing her eyes. "Until today, when I learned that all being honest with her gets me is gum in my hair and a black eye; she can fend for herself for all I care."

* * *

Selina was on her way to her locker to get books for her last class of the day, trigonometry, when she was waylaid. Michael came out from a side classroom, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her in. "And what is it _you_ want?" Selina asked.

"Nothing much," Michael said. "I just wanted to say hi and ask where Tommy's gone off to."

"He died," Selina said. "When he realized that there was nothing he could do that would make me fall out of love with Damon in back in love with him, he killed himself. I wish you would do the same thing."

"Come on, Selina," Michael said silkily. "Is that any way to talk to your husband?"

"Oh, God," Selina turned. "_Never_ use the word 'husband' when talking to me and referring to yourself, all right?"

"But it's true, though." Michael pressed. "We got married in Atlantic City."

"We did," Selina said. "And it was a terrible, horrible mistake. I want to get a divorce. Or I could just kill you; take your pick."

Michael's lip curled. "You wouldn't kill me; then how would Tyler get his body back?"

"As long as I didn't kill you in too violent a manner, Tyler would still have a body to come back to," Selina assured him."

"I doubt you'd be able to restrain yourself," Michael said. He came closer to her and pulled her to him. "Listen," he said, his voice dropping. "I have the period after this off. You want to head out early and do another reenactment of the original Little Red Riding Hood story?"

Selina scoffed. "If that was something I did with you the last time we were together than no. Thankfully, I was so drunk I barely remember."

Michael leaned in to kiss her. She could feel his warm breath on her lips. She tried to squirm away, but he held her fast. Then, suddenly, he let out a howl of pain, released her and went staggering backward. Selina had a feeling what had caused Michael such agony. She left the classroom and headed to the nearest bathroom. Looking into the mirror, she was reassured to see Tyler looking back at her.

"Thanks for that," she said, taking a deep breath.

"No problem," Tyler said. "I just wanted to give you an update: I found your parents, and Uncle Jacob is still spying on the wolf pack. Once you get done with class, get someone to take you to your parents' house. They're waiting for you there."

"Thanks, Tyler," Selina repeated. "And we're working on getting your body back; just be patient."

"No problem," Tyler said. "I've got enough to occupy my time. It's not like I desperately need to be anywhere else."

* * *

"It was agony getting through her next class; as soon as the bell rang, Selina grabbed her bag and sprinted out the door.

"Where are you going?" Stefan called after her as he and Elena came out of their economics class.

"I've got to get to my parents' house," Selina called to him. "Tyler found them and they're waiting for me!"

"I'll get a ride with Caroline," Elena told him. "You can take her if you want; it's a bit of a walk from the school."

"Thank you," Stefan told her. "And thank you for being the bigger person."

He caught up with Selina and they drove in silence to the Warren house. Stefan dropped Selina off at the front door and told her to call when she was finished so that he could come and pick her up. She nodded, found the key under the welcome mat where she'd stashed it after her last visit and got herself inside. She walked inside and took a deep breath, a little awed by the silence of the house.

She began to walk around, touching every surface. By the time she got upstairs, she was nearly swamped by the memories of the house. When she passed by her parents' bedroom, she put her ear against the closed door. She could swear that strains of "The Bonny Blue Flag" were coming from inside. She opened the door, sighing in relief. The song was coming from a record on an ancient Victrola, but there was no one in the room. Sighing, she lied down on the bed. She could still smell her mother's violet perfume on the sheets.

As the song finished, the bedroom door opened and Selina sat up in alarm. Then, the door closed. Selina sat in silence for a minute or so, then felt something hard under the pillow; she pulled it out and gasped. It was a picture of herself and her parents, taken when she was only a few months old; must have been when her father had come back for leave. She gazed at it fondly. They were all smiling in the picture, a rare occurrence. Hugging the photo to her chest, she called out, "You can come out now, Mama and Daddy; I know you're here."

A moment later, Matthew and Amelia Warren materialized at the foot of the bed. Her mother looked much younger and happier than Selina ever remembered her being. She gazed at them for a moment before they both smiled at her, and then took seats on either side. "Hello, dear," they said at the same time.

Matthew took her hand next. "Tyler said you needed us."

"Is everything all right?" Amelia added. "We know about the wolves, but is there anything else going on?"

Selina sighed. "Get comfortable," she said. "I have _a lot_ to tell you."


	27. White Wedding

"How much is a lot?" Amelia asked. "More than just the 'wolves?"

"Oh, yes." Selina nodded. "So much more."

"Well," Matthew said, "Where do you want to start?"

"Well," Selina shifted slightly. "Let's start with the smaller problems and ease into the over-arching bigger problem; first off, are you wondering why Tyler came to you in ghost form when last you knew, he was alive?"

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "Now that you mention it, that thought _did_ cross my mind; what happened to him?"

Selina smiled. "I'm glad you asked," she said. "This'll be good practice for when we get to the big, overarching thing; both for your listening skills and my explaining skills. Tyler is a ghost because after we arrived in Atlantic city so that he and I could get married, he was thrown out of his body by the ghost of cousin Michael who was brought back from the spirit world by an angry witch who wants vengeance on me because I killed her granddaughter."

"Wait just a minute please," Amelia told her. "Why on earth would you want to marry Tyler, and why did you kill some witch's granddaughter?"

"This is complicated so I _will _allow a question and answer period after every hunk of explanation that I give you," Selina said. "First, marrying Tyler was Damon's suggestion. We were in Atlantic City when the 'wolves showed up. Second, it wasn't just any witch I killed. It was Bonnie Bennett."

Amelia's eyes widened. "Selina Amelia Elizabeth Warren! Why in the world would you kill Bonnie Bennett? I've always told you to use your words when you had difficulties." She paused. "Unless of course it was during a full moon, in which case one can't really blame you for any of the bad things you do because they aren't entirely your fault."

"Yeah," Selina said dryly. "And thank you so much, Mama for passing on that little quirk."

Amelia patted her on the shoulder. "I'm sorry, dear. Now, would Damon suggest that you go to New Jersey to marry Tyler? I thought he hated him."

"Not exactly," Selina said. "He hates _Michael_; Tyler he has a grudging respect for. Plus, Tyler doesn't chase after me anymore. He's dating Caroline. And as to why we got married, that's part of the bigger overarching problem too."

"Is there anything you can tell us that _isn't _part of the big over-arching problem?" Matthew asked.

"I'm sorry," Selina whimpered. "The over-arching problem is very intricate. I can't explain it on my own." She paused. "Just a minute; I need to get Damon over here. _He _can help me explain the big over-arching problem." She left the bedroom and went to grab her cell phone, which was in the kitchen with her purse. She grabbed her phone and dialed the boardinghouse. Damon answered the phone immediately, and when she told him about the situation, he told her he'd drive right over and help her out."

"Damon's going to be here in a few minutes," Selina said. "In the meantime, I'm going to go get an easel and some paper. We're going to need to make charts in order for you to be able to keep track of everything."

"Oh, it can't be _that_ bad." Matthew said.

"It is," Selina assured him. "You know that Mama's relatives have a nutty secret, but can I guess that you never looked at Uncle Andrew's genealogy charts at any point in your life?"

Matthew's eyes widened. "Are you saying _our_ family has a nutty secret too?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "And it's even more exciting than Mama's. I'm going to go get that easel now; you two talk amongst yourselves."

As soon as she'd left the room, Matthew looked at Amelia. "Now I'm nervous," he said.

She nodded. "Me too. And why does it seem like our nervousness is only going to get worse?"

About ten minutes after Selina located the easel, paper and pencils and brought them to Matthew and Amelia's room, there was a call from the living room. Damon had arrived. "Hello?" He called. "Selina, where are you?"

"Still on the ground floor," Selina called. "In Mama and Daddy's bedroom; they're in here too and very anxious to know about the big, over-arching problem."

He came in. "You told them that that was going to take awhile to explain, right?" He said.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I even brought up an easel, paper and pencils so we could write or draw everything out."

"That'll be handy when we start talking about the family trees," Damon said.

"I think we should start with those," Selina said.

Damon turned to his in-laws. "Has she told you anything yet?"

"Only something about you deciding that she and Tyler should get married in Atlantic City, and Michael possessing Tyler's body and displacing his spirit because Michael was brought forth by Bonnie Bennett's grandmother as a sort of vengeance for Bonnie's murder," Amelia told him.

"Wow," Damon turned to Selina. "You got out quite a bit, didn't you?"

Selina shrugged. "They wanted to know something, so I tried to give it to them."

"All right," Damon cleared his throat, grabbed a pencil, and began drawing on the pad. "Let's start at the beginning so you understand the big over-arching problem: to start out, five hundred years ago, my distant ancestor Damon Salvatore the first marred a woman named Stella De Celli."

"Stella De Celli? Why does that name sound familiar to me?" Amelia asked.

"Remember, we had that séance at my birthday party and ended up talking to her brother about her?" Selina asked. "To find out why she was trying to contact me through her necklace?"

"Oh, yes." Amelia nodded. "Continue."

"All right," Damon said. "Stella and Damon the first had two kids, Gianni and Andria." He drew the lines down from Stella and Damon's connected line, then looked at Selina. "How about you explain Andria's family line and I'll take Gianni's?"

Selina nodded. "Seems right to me."

Damon went back to his drawing. "Gianni married a French countess named Elenore and they had kids and those kids had kids and so on and so forth until eventually, in 1810, my father was born. Then, he grew up, moved to Virginia when he was eighteen, met my mother, married her and they had me and Stefan."

"And that's the end of Gianni's line?" Amelia asked.

Damon and Selina looked at one another. "Do you think we should tell them?" Damon asked. "Lina, it's your choice."

"I think they have a right to know," Selina said.

"What's he talking about?" Matthew asked. "Is this the big, over-arching thing?"

"No," Selina said. "It's just a side note. But it's something you should know. Damon and I had a son. We conceived the day he left with his unit and I gave birth in December of 1864. Please don't judge me, Mama; we _were _engaged after all, and he was going off to war, and you can't blame me for wanting to have a piece of him in case he died."

"Oh, my God," Amelia put a hand to her mouth. "Why didn't you mention this before?"

Selina shrugged. "I kinda repressed it all these years; then, a little while ago, Elena had this girls' night at her house with me, her, Bonnie and Caroline, and there was this ad on television for a TV movie about a woman who has her son taken away from her by an unscrupulous doctor. It all just came flooding back, along with the realization that I was expecting when Emily made me sick with scarlet fever. I was overcome with rage for what she did, and since I couldn't kill her, I killed Bonnie instead."

The room lapsed into shocked silence. Damon put his pencil down. "All right," he said. "Let's take a snack break and reconvene for more fun explanations in ten minutes."

* * *

"What happened to your hair?" Isobel asked when Elena arrived at Doctor Stensrund's house. "It looks different."

"Selina was in a bad mood today and she spit gum in it, so I had to have Jenna cut the gum out and even out the rest. It doesn't look too bad, does it?"

"Did Selina also punch you in the eye?" John asked, leaning in. "It looks really discolored."

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "She punched me in the eye too."

"What did you do to warrant that?" Isobel asked as she sorted through her notes.

"I told her that I told you about her Damon amnesia and that you were going to use it against her." Elena told them. "Then she got upset."

"Why would you tell her we were going to use it against her?" John asked. "Now we can't."

"But I didn't have time to tell her that Jeremy's joined the group," Elena said. "That's still a secret."

"Good," John said. "And has Jeremy mentioned to you whether or not he'll work for us?"

"He wasn't planning to," Elena said. "But then he saw Selina use an air horn on me and make me hit my head on the wall of my locker, so he's reconsidering."

"Excellent," John said. "Next move: we need to think about how we're going to spring Katherine. Any ideas?"

"I could go," Isobel said. "This Stella person, whoever she is, has no idea about me. She'd be less likely to turn me away."

"But what would you say when they asked you why you wanted to see her?" Elena asked. 'I'm a friend of Katherine's' is not going to get you into the hideout."

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Isobel asked. "Of course I wouldn't say that! I'll say I'm a friend of Selina's."

"But you aren't," Elena said. "Selina hates you. And they'd ask her, believe me."

"Have you been to the hideout?" Isobel asked.

"No," Elena shook her head. "But I've met Stella; trust me, she would _definitely_ double-check these things."

"Any ideas about how we can get Katherine out of Stella's hideout?" John asked.

Elena shook her head. "Not really; I'm going to go think of evil things to do to Selina." As she left the room, Isobel looked at John. "Our little girl's growing up."

John nodded. "It certainly seems so."

* * *

"Did you have a good day at school?" Caroline asked as Michael came into the Grill and sat down next to her in their usual booth.

"I did," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What about you?"

"Wonderful," Caroline nodded. "Elena says Selina's acting really weird; she asked me what to do, but I wasn't sure what to tell her."

"Are you and Selina even friends?" Michael asked.

"We weren't at first," Caroline admitted. "I thought she was shallow and stupid and I couldn't stand her. But then Katherine turned me, and ever since, things have improved."

"It's good that the two of you get along," Michael said.

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "Her father was a vampire, did you know that? He was my date for the last decade dance. Then he died. Tyler killed him."

Michael nodded. "I was there. It was when I still wanted to marry Selina so we had her in the tomb where all the vampires were put after the Battle of Willow Creek. I wanted to hold our wedding ceremony down there, but Uncle Matthew, Damon and Stefan wrecked the whole thing."

"What do you mean 'when you still wanted to marry Selina'?" Caroline asked. "Do you not want to anymore?"

"No," Michael shook his head. "I'm not going to get anywhere with her. I suppose it's time for me to just face reality and move on." He leaned forward, taking Caroline's hand. "I know we haven't known each other very long, but I really feel a connection with you."

"You know," Caroline said, "I feel the same way."

Michael stepped out of the booth and helped Caroline out after him. "Would you come with me to the falls?" he asked. "There's something I have to ask you."

"Sure," Caroline said. "What do you need to ask me?"

"Not so fast," Michael said, smiling. "You'll find out when we get there."

* * *

"All right," Damon said when they were back in the master bedroom. "Where were we?"

"You two had just announced that we're grandparents," Amelia said.

"Right," Selina handed Amelia a photograph. "That's our son. His name was Joshua. Wasn't he handsome?"

Amelia looked up at the photo then at the other two. "You know Damon," she said, "he looks a lot like you, doesn't he?"

Damon took the photo from her. "God," he breathed and looked up at Selina. "Is this really what Joshua looked like when he was older?"

"Yep," Selina nodded. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," Damon said. "It's just that I used to play poker with him."

"Did you really?" Matthew asked. "Did you ever wonder why the two of you looked so much alike?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "I just thought it was a weird freak of nature."

"Shall we continue with the explanation of the big over-arching problem?" Selina asked.

"Go ahead," Damon gestured at her. "It's your turn anyway."

"All right," Selina said. "So we've explained about Gianni, and now onto Andria. She's much more interesting if you ask me. When she was sixteen, she married Viscount Alfred Warren and went to live in England. Shortly after their wedding, something happened that changed her forever."

"What happened?" Amelia asked.

"Andria was kidnapped by a man who claimed to be a magician. He took her at the behest of one Katerina Petrova, who had once been her mother Stella's best friend. But at some point during their friendship, Katerina had become a vampire. Soon after that, the Pope declared that all vampires should be killed, so people were throwing out stakes right and left. Eventually, Stella's grandmother discovered that Katerina was a vampire, but she made Katerina a deal; she wouldn't hand her over if Katerina would help keep Stella away from her husband so that her grandmother could force her to marry someone 'more suitable' (i.e. German) than Damon Salvatore the first was. Katerina agreed, and when Stella's grandmother's minions came in the dead of night to take Stella away, Katherine made sure that none of the Salvatores were any the wiser about what really happened; she got them to believe that Stella didn't love her husband at all and had left willingly to marry this other guy. But in reality, she'd refused, so they basically starved her and beat her practically to death until her brother came to Germany to rescue her. Once Stella got back to Italy, Damon the first, who had since been turned into a vampire by Katerina, saw the error of his ways, turned Stella into a vampire to save her life—"

"And they both lived happily ever after," Amelia finished.

"I wouldn't use those words exactly, but they're happy enough," Selina said.

"But what happened with Andria?" Matthew asked. "What happened after Katerina had the magician kidnap her?"

"Well," Selina said, "the whole reason why Katerina wanted Andria kidnapped was because Katerina was in great danger from a vampire named Klaus. He's like the most powerful vampire ever, and if he killed Katherine, then the curse of vampirism would be ended. But Katherine didn't want to die, so she saw the wizard and he told her that if she found him another girl, he could do magic that would make the other girl and her line eligible to end the vampire curse as well, so Katerina would no longer be in danger. The spells they put on Andria made it so that her descendants would make a double of Andria at some point in the future that the Originals could use as a sacrifice. Usually, the doubles are born every five-hundred years, but in Andria's case, it was only 338 years. Andria's double was born on October 31st, 1846."

"But honey," Matthew said, "that's _your _birthday."

Selina nodded. "I know. And Elena's the next double born in the Petrova line. Katerina Petrova now goes by the name of Katherine Pierce, and Stella and Damon the first are here in Mystic Falls just waiting for her to strike. The reason why Damon sent me to Atlantic City with Tyler was so the Originals wouldn't find me."

"Is that so?" Amelia asked weakly.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "And that's why we call it the big over-arching problem."

"Wow," Matthew said. "And that doesn't even take the werewolf problem into account."

"Speaking of werewolf problems," said Jacob Lockwood suddenly materializing in the bedroom, "the pack I've been watching is starting to behave oddly. And I had to call George to come help with Michael. Somebody needs to knock some sense into that boy. Not to mention the girl he's with."

Selina froze. "What do you mean, Uncle Jacob?"

"He means," said George Lockwood, appearing beside his uncle, "that Michael's planning to remarry using that other young man's body."

"Who is he planning to marry?" Selina asked.

"I believe her name is Caroline Forbes," George answered. "Do you know her?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "And I need to go get Elena so we can stop Caroline from making the biggest mistake of her life!"


	28. You're Still the One

"Wait just a minute," Matthew said. "Is this the same Caroline Forbes—"

"-who was your date for the decade dance." Selina nodded. "She seems to like men that are related to me."

"Do you think she's aware that it's Michael she's marrying and not Tyler?" Amelia asked.

"God, I hope not," Selina said. "I shudder to ponder how desperate she's getting if she wants to marry Michael willingly."

"Selina, be nice." Amelia chided. "He _is _your cousin after all."

"Actually, Aunt Amelia," George said, "I side with Selina on this one. I never thought Michael was stable enough to marry, and I remember being astounded when he came home and told Father that some poor girl had accepted his ring."

"See?" Selina said to her mother. "Even Michael's own brother thinks he's loopy."

"That might be," Amelia said. "But it isn't polite to _say_ it."

Shaking her head, Selina headed out the door, turning before she closed it behind her. "I don't know when I'm going to be back," she said. "It all depends on how long it takes for me and Elena to convince Caroline she'd be better off as a single woman; at least until we can get Tyler back in his body."

"Good luck," Matthew called after her. "Watch out for yourself and be careful."

"I should probably go too," Damon said.

"Why?" Matthew asked.

"Because," Damon said, "last time your daughter and Elena were in the same space, Selina beat Elena up and spit gum in her hair. Putting the two of them together again will _not_ end well."

"What started that?" Matthew asked. "I thought Selina and Elena were best friends."

"They were," Damon nodded. "Until this doppelganger sacrificing thing happened. Now they've both been listening to Stella and Katherine so often that they only see the worst in each other."

"That's just sad," Amelia said. "It must be awful to be at a point where you hate your best friend." She looked at Damon. "Are you still going to go after her?"

Damon thought a moment. "I'm going to give Selina the benefit of the doubt and believe that she's actually serious about saving Caroline and not going to pick a fight with Elena," he said at last. "If there are problems, I'll deal with them later."

* * *

Elena was in one of the upstairs rooms of Doctor Stensrund's house, watching out the window. She knew Selina would come back eventually and she had the perfect revenge planned. She turned away from the window and looked at the bucket near the bed. Getting off the bed, she picked it up and set it by the door. "Uncle John," she called, "Would you happen to know where a ladder is around here?"

"Sure," John said. "I saw one in the attic; did you know that that whole space is spattered with bloodstains?" He asked. "I wonder how that happened. Do you think somebody was murdered up there?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "Doctor Stensrund kept Selina here during the early days of her first transformation to vampirism. She spent most of the time after her transformation tied to a chair in the attic. Doctor Stensrund would starve her and then go kidnap homeless guys off the street and bring them here so she could feed off them and kill them. So I guess you are right, in a sense."

"Her _first _transformation?" John asked. "How many has she had?"

"Two," Elena said. "The second time was after she got bitten by her cousin Mason, who was a werewolf; ordinarily, werewolf bites mess vampires up pretty bad, but since Selina is a Lockwood on her mother's side, and thus has the werewolf gene, it protects her from the bad stuff and simply turns her human again. Then Katherine stabbed her with a knife and to stop her from dying, Damon changed her back."

"Wow," John said. "I didn't know any of that."

"Of course you didn't," Elena said. "Now could you get me the ladder please? I need to balance this bucket on top of the door."

"What do you have in there?" John peered into it. "Glue?"

Elena shook her head. "Bleach. Selina usually wears darker colors and when it hits them, they will be destroyed. Not to mention it will probably be hell for her hair."

"I thought you said you were plotting evil things to do to her," John said. "That's a bit amateurish, isn't it?"

"Well I don't want to _kill_ her," Elena said. "I just want to make her sorry she spit gum in my hair."

"Do you know how to mess with brakes on a car so they'll stop working?" John asked. "Or cut the tube near the gas tank so the gas will leak out?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "Do you?"

"Of course," he said. "I got suspended for two months when I was in middle school because I rigged the principal's brakes so that he had to go to the hospital for a month."

"Seriously?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," John nodded.

"But in order for _that_ to work, we'd have to actually have her car, and we don't," Elena said. Just then, there was a knock on Elena's door. "Who is it?" She called.

"Isobel," said the voice on the other side. "Selina's here. I think she wants to talk to you."

"Well that was fast," Elena said. "If I'm going to do stuff to her car, I should probably do it while she's here."

"We need to work fast," John nodded. He opened the door, and Isobel started. "Would you do us a favor?" John asked her. "Would you distract Selina while we cut the gas line in her car and mess with her brakes?"

"Awww," Isobel smiled sardonically. "Father-daughter bonding; how sweet. Sure, I'll distract Selina while the two of you wreck her car. It shouldn't be difficult seeing as she hates my guts."

"Thanks," Elena said as she left the room and John followed.

"Elena, what were you planning on doing with the bucket?" Isobel called after her.

"I was going to balance it on top of the door," Elena called back. "Just put it on the floor near my bed; I'll deal with it later."

Isobel put the bucket where Elena had instructed and then got up on the bed to stare out the window. Selina was making her way up the front steps. Isobel got off the bed and headed down to the front door, opening it only after Selina had knocked several times.

"Oh," Selina frowned. "It's you; listen, I don't have time to pick a fight. Could you just tell me if Elena's home? I need to talk to her."

"She's out at the moment," Isobel said. "But if you're willing to wait for awhile, I could let you in."

"How accommodating of you," Selina said as she stepped inside. "Thank you so much." Isobel led her to the kitchen and gestured at one of the seats at the kitchen table. "Have a seat," she said. "Would you like some tea? I just made a pot."

"What did you put in it?" Selina asked. "Poison? Vervain? Artificial sweetner?"

"No," Isobel said. "You know the first one wouldn't have any effect on you; the second one would hurt me too, so why would I take the risk? And the third, well it's just gross, isn't it?"

"I can't disagree," Selina said. "All right, I believe I _will _take a cup of tea as long as you're offering and being very civil about it."

"All right," Isobel got up and grabbed the kettle, carrying it back to the table, and then getting two cups. She poured Selina's cup first, and then her own.

"So what did you need to see Elena about?" she said after a moment.

"It's about one of her friends," Selina said. "This friend of hers is about to make a very terrible mistake and I believe she would be more likely to back out of what she's about to do if Elena was there with me to talk some sense in to her."

"What's she about to do?" Isobel asked.

"She's about to marry my stupid, self-absorbed insane cousin," Selina said.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Isobel said. "People do things in the heat of the moment, but they realize their mistake later."

"And then they spend years paying for it, don't they?" Selina asked her.

"No kidding," Isobel agreed, taking a sip of her tea. A minute later, Selina heard the front door slam and the sound of somebody running up the stairs.

"Was that Elena?" Selina asked.

"I think so," Isobel nodded. "Why don't you go upstairs and see? She's been using the room that's the third door on the left."

Selina nodded and gulped down her tea. "Thanks," she said, and then headed up the stairs. She found the room that Isobel indicated, opened the door and let out a squeal as she found herself soaked from chest to foot, the color slowly disappearing from her bright green top and black jeans. She looked up and saw Elena grinning wickedly at her. "What the hell is that stuff?" she asked.

"Bleach," Elena said matter-of-factly. "You'll have to throw those clothes away after today; you'll never be able to wear them again."

"I can see that," Selina said. "Is this revenge for my spitting gum in your hair?"

"Duh," Elena nodded. "Of course it is."

The girls stood staring at one another in silence for a few moments, then Selina launched herself at Elena and soon the two girls were rolling around on the floor, punching and kicking each other. "That's a nice blue top you're wearing, Elena," Selina observed. "And pretty soon, your eyes are going match it."

"Yeah, right," Elena said, getting her finger on Selina's windpipe, causing her to gasp and sputter. "I'd love to see you try."

Selina bit Elena's hand. Elena squealed and let her go. As Selina rolled away, she sat up quickly. As Elen aimed another punch at Selina's face, Selina deftly blocked it. "We can't do this," she said, grabbing Elena's wrists. "I almost forgot why I came here, but I remember now; we have to go; we may be too late already."

"Late for what?" Elena asked, her face sobering.

"Michael proposed to Caroline," Selina said. "I heard it from my cousin George, who's been watching Michael very closely. Michael proposed to Caroline and now they're thinking about eloping."

"_What_?" Elena's jaw dropped and she got Selina to release her hands, which she brought to her lap. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "And if we want Caroline to realize how foolish she's being, we need to leave _now_."

"Definitely," Elena nodded, getting off the bed.

"We'll take my car," Selina said.

"I don't think we want to do that," Elena said.

"Why not?" Selina asked.

"No reason," Elena shook her head. "I just thought you might want a change of pace, that's all. We could take John's."

"No," Selina shook her head. "We'll take mine; it'll be simpler in the long run."

"All right," Elena sighed when it became clear that Selina wasn't going to budge. They got into her car with Selina sitting in the driver's seat and Elena taking the front passenger's seat. Selina turned the engine on and they began driving toward the main square.

"Do you know where Caroline and Michael went?" Elena asked.

"Sadly no," Selina said. "George just told me that they were thinking of eloping." She put her hands on the wheel and then turned slightly. "Listen, Elena," she said. "I'm sorry for all the stuff I did; the air horn and the gum and the beating up on you; I didn't mean any of it, really. I was just hurt and shocked."

Elena sighed. "Thanks," she said. "I guess I deserved the gum at the very least; I shouldn't have told all that stuff about you. Besides," she fingered a strand of shorter hair. "I've been looking for an excuse to get a haircut."

Selina snorted. "Glad I could help." Just then, Elena gasped. "What's the matter?" Selina asked.

"We're coming up on a stoplight," Elena said.

"And the problem with that is what?" Selina asked.

"You might have trouble stopping when you try," Elena said.

"Why is that?" Selina asked again.

"For the same reason you probably smell gasoline right now," Elena finished.

Selina sniffed. "What's going on? Why _do_ I smell gasoline?"

They were coming closer and closer to the stoplight. Selina put her foot down on the brake pedal and sure enough, it wouldn't work. The car ran the light and just kept on going. They crashed through a fence and began rolling toward a cliff. "Oh God," Selina said. "We're going to go over, aren't we?"

"Quick," Elena said. "Unbuckle your seatbelt. Then, get the door open and we'll jump out before the car goes over. Then we'll be okay."

"Do we _have_ to?" Selina asked. "The prospect scares the hell out of me."

"Well would you rather be dead?" Elena asked as they rolled closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.

"Going off the side of a cliff wouldn't kill me," Selina said. "It would just hurt a lot."

"Well, would you rather _I _was dead?" Elena asked. "Especially since we just made up? Would you want my death on your conscience?"

"All right," Selina took a deep breath and at the same time, she and Elena unbuckled their seatbelts. They managed to climb out of the car, then watch as it sailed over the cliff.

Breathing sighs of relief, they crawled into the grass on the side of the road. "Now what do we do?" Elena asked. "We landed in the middle of nowhere. Do you have any idea where we are?"

Selina looked around. "No."

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked. "I _would_ call Stefan to come and pick us up, but my phone was in my purse, which was next to me in the front seat, so now it's pretty much useless to us."

"Mine too," Selina said. "Damon's going to be upset with me; he just bought me that car."

"So how are we going to rescue Caroline from Michael if we're lost and we have no way to contact anyone to bring us back to civilization?" Elena asked.

"We're going to have to walk and hope we're going the right way," Selina said. "Unless of course we get blessed with a _deus ex machina." _

"What's that?" Elena asked.

"It's a literary device that was originally used in Ancient Greek drama," Selina explained. "At some point in a play, characters would be in situations that would be seemingly unsolvable, and then, out of nowhere, a god would show up and render supernatural aid that fixed everything."

"So you're holding out hope that someone will show up out of nowhere and give us a ride back to town?" Elena asked.

"Hey," Selina shrugged. "It could happen."

They lapsed into silence after that. Suddenly, they heard the wheezing gasp of a car that seemed to be on its last legs. They saw it coming up the road. It was old and rusty and looked like it was going to explode, yet there were three people in the car and they were singing loudly.

Selina looked at Elena and the two of them sprinted onto the road, madly waving their arms and stirring up a cloud of dust.

The car stopped alongside them and the driver's seat window rolled down to reveal a man with oil on his cheeks, chewing on a toothpick. "Can we help you ladies?"

"Yes," Elena said. "My friend and I had an accident with our car. Can we get a ride back to town?"

The man looked at the badly-permed woman beside him. "Should we let them come with us?"

The woman got out of the car, her faded floral print dress flapping in the breeze. She walked up to them, presumably to look them over. Then she saw Selina and her eyes widened. "Hank!" she cried. "Hank, get out here right this minute!"

"What's the matter, Minnie?" The man asked. "Those gals dangerous?"

"No," Minnie shook her head, gazing at Selina with awe. "It's the girl who was with Christian Blake the night he was murdered!"

Hank gently pushed his wife aside and took a stunned Selina by the shoulders. "Are you really her?" He asked. "What's your name?"

Selina gulped. "Sylvia," she said nervously. "Sylvia Spence. And yes, I _was_ the girl with Christian Blake."

"Let's let them in," the teenage girl in the backseat of the van called. "I want to hear all the juicy details about Christian Blake!"

Hank and Minnie ushered Elena and Selina into the backseat of their car. They sat on either side of the teenage girl who introduced herself to them immediately. "My name's Martha," she said, pushing dark blond hair out of her eyes. "But everybody calls me Marti."

"Nice to meet you, Marti," Selina said. Elena nodded.

"So," Marti said, her eyes twinkling. "Tell me about Christian Blake; was he good in bed?"

"Marti!" Minnie remonstrated her daughter. "That's not good car conversation. Besides, anything involving Christian Blake is probably very traumatic for Sylvia to discuss. Let's talk about the weather instead."

"Thank you, Minnie," Selina said gratefully.

"No problem," Minnie said. "Where would you like us to drop you two off?"

"A church," Elena said. "Any church. Her cousin is about to marry my best friend and we want to stop the wedding, but we have no idea where they are."

"Was it necessary?" Hank asked.

"Necessary?" Elena asked. "What does _that_ mean?"

"He wants to know if Michael got Caroline pregnant and that's why they're marrying," Selina supplied.

"Oh," Elena shook her head. "No, Caroline's just lonely."

They drove around town for a little while until they heard someone calling Selina's name. Selina rolled her window down and saw Damon rushing toward the car.

"Who's that?" Minnie asked.

"That's my husband," Selina said without thinking. "We can get out here now; he'll look after us. Thank you for the ride."

"No problem, dear," Minnie said. They got out of the car and Hank drove off.

"What were you doing in that car?" Damon asked Selina. "What happened to yours?"

"We had an accident," Selina explained.

"Why didn't you call me?" Damon asked. "I could've come and gotten you if you'd let me know where you were."

"We _would_ have done that," Selina said. "But we didn't have our phones either; see, Elena, in a fit of vengefulness, messed with my brake line and made the oil leak out of my car, but didn't tell me before I started driving; so when we hit a stoplight, I couldn't stop. We managed to get out of the car before it went over a cliff, but afterward, we realized that our purses and phones had gone down with the car, so we had no choice but to walk back. We were just lucky that Hank and Minnie happened by and were good enough to give us a ride."

"Are you both okay?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," they both said.

"Have you made up, or is another fight gonna break out?" Damon asked.

"We made up in light of Caroline's difficulties," Elena said. "Speaking of which, do we know where Michael is holding the wedding?" Damon pointed to a small building across the street from where they were standing. "Just over there. It took us a hell of a time to figure it out. And since it's still in town, we felt like idiots afterward."

"Well, what are we standing here for?" Elena said. "Let's go stop a wedding!"

The three of them raced into the building, just as a judge reached the lines "if anyone has any objections, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

"Stop!" Elena cried. Michael and Caroline both turned. So did Carol and Mayor Lockwood.

Elena strode down the aisle. "Don't do this," she told Caroline. "You'll regret it later."

"Yeah," Selina added. "Michael's wife certainly regretted marrying him later." She cleared her throat while Michael, looking neat in white dress shirt, black jacket and pinstripe pants, glowered at her. "You do realize it's Michael you're marrying and not Tyler, right Caroline?"

"What are you two saying?" Mayor Lockwood asked. "Have you completely lost your minds?"

Selina turned. "It's true, Richard. That's why 'Tyler' has been acting so weird lately. Didn't you two wonder why he hasn't called you 'Mom' and 'Dad' in quite awhile? I bet if you asked him when his birthday was, he'd tell you the wrong date."

They looked up at Michael. Sure enough, it happened just as she said.

"How did this happen?" Mayor Lockwood asked.

"While Tyler and I were in Atlantic City," Selina said. "Bonnie Bennett's grandmother raised Michael's spirit as a way to avenge Bonnie's death which I inadvertently caused. Michael's spirit then showed up in Atlantic City and then took possession of Tyler's body."

"Where's Tyler now?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.

"I don't know," Selina said. "But I know how to check. Just give me a minute. Damon," she ordered her husband, "watch Michael; make sure he doesn't move."

"My pleasure, sweetheart," Damon said. "You go do what you need to do."

Selina nodded and left the main room, eventually locating a bathroom nearby. She went inside and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Tyler's reflection beside hers. "You're here," she said. "I wondered."

"Of course I'm here," Tyler said. "Do you think I'm happy about Michael using _my _body to marry _my _girlfriend?"

Selina bit her lip on a smile. "Just wait a little longer," she said. "I have a feeling your body is going to be your own again very soon." Just then, she heard the shouting, she rushed back into the main room and saw that Michael and Damon were fighting each other. They were rolling around on the floor and each had a scrape on his cheek. Then, they got up and Damon got a hold of Michael's coat. He pulled him back and grabbed him around the waist. Then, with one quick smack of Michael's head against the pew, he was dead. Carol screamed and fainted in the arms of her husband. Selina ran to the bathroom.

"It's time," she said to Tyler. "Your body is yours again. But I'd hurry. Your mom just passed out."

Tyler nodded and Selina returned to the main room where Caroline was cradling Michael's still, bleeding body. A minute later, she gasped as the eyes began fluttering again. "What?" she said in surprise.

"Hi Caroline," Tyler said weakly. He turned slightly in the direction of his parents. "Hi Mom, hi, Dad; I have a hell of a headache."

"But you're alive," Caroline said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You're alive."

"Can I ask you a favor?" Tyler said.

"Sure," Caroline replied. "Anything at all."

"Will you marry me?" Tyler asked.


	29. Save Tonight

Damon awoke the next morning to the sound of the shower. He felt around on the bed beside him and saw that Selina was gone. "Lina?" He called. A moment later, the shower stopped and Selina poked her head out the bathroom door. "Yeah?" she said, her damp hair hanging in her eyes. "What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"Yeah," He nodded, getting out of bed. "I was just disoriented for a minute. You can get back to showering if you need to."

"As a matter of fact, I'm done." She opened the bathroom door and stepped out. She was barefoot and wearing a white terry cloth robe with pink around the edges. "Sorry I woke you up. I was hoping to shower and dress and then steathily slip out of here with you being none the wiser."

"That's friendly," Damon said wryly. "You aren't planning on doing anything illegal, are you?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's just that it's kind of early, and I know how you like to sleep in. I was planning on leaving a note with Stefan for when you came downstairs. I wouldn't leave you completely in the dark. Elena called an hour or so ago and asked me if I would come meet her for coffee. She said she had something to tell me."

"Did she say what?" Damon asked.

Selina shook her head and then went into her closet. "She just said she had something to tell me."

Damon walked over to Selina's closet and put his hads on the doorframe. "Are you all right?" He asked.

Selina turned. "Sure I am," she said. "Why would you ask?" She began rifling through her skirts.

"It's just that last night, you talked in a way I haven't heard you talk in years." He reached out and put a hand on her wrist. "It looks cold out today; I'd wear jeans if I were you."

"Thanks," Selina stopped going through her skirts and headed to her chest of drawers. She picked out a pair of dark wash jeans and turned back to him. "About last night: I'm sorry. I _did_ get a little overemotional, didn't I?"

Damon shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about. If you're really freaked out about something, we can talk about it. Is something really wrong?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Thanks for the reassurance and all, but I think I can handle it. If things _do _get bad enough, you'll be the first I tell." She smiled. "Now that you've instructed me about my legwear, do you have opinions on anything else?"

"Sweater," Damon said immediately. "Try the red cableknit sweater. That should keep you warm enough."

Selina soon emerged from her and Damon's bedroom in the red sweater, dark wash jeans and chocolate ankle boots. "How are you planning to meet Elena?" Damon followed close behind, throwing a t-shirt on as he headed out the door and down the stairs. "She's coming to pick me up," Selina said. The honk of a horn outside drew Selina's attention. "There she is. I'll be back in awhile."

As soon as Selina disappeared outside, Damon stepped into the kitchen. Stefan, who was reading a paper, looked up at him. "Are you all right?" He asked. "Is something wrong?" Damon sat down next to him. "Lina was acting weird last night."

"How so?" Stefan asked. "Was it because of the accident?"

Damon shook his head. "She kept talking about our last days as humans and worrying about whether or not the world was going to end today. I haven't heard her talk like that for years."

"But you weren't around her for years," Stefan reminded him. "When she was stuck alone in Dr. Stensrund's house, she probably thought and talked like that all the time. Did she really say that she thought the world was going to end today?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "Or something like that. What are you reading?"

Stefan shut it and pushed it toward him. "Just a little something I picked up at the supermarket. Look who's on the cover."

Damon looked down and swore sharply. A picture of Selina took up the entire cover of the paper, which was actually a supermarket tabloid. "_Blake Mystery Woman Named; Sylvia Spence a Married Woman! _the headline screamed. "Is this the whole reason why you bought it?" He asked Stefan, gesturing at the cover.

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "And wait until you read the story."

Damon opened the paper to the page where the story on Selina began, leafing through it quickly and not reading any of the words. When he was finished, he shut the paper and looked up at Stefan. "Do you think Elena had anything to do with this? And don't say no just because the two of you are dating."

"If you'll actually read the story," Stefan said, turning to the second page, "the magazine says that their source was a couple named Hank and Minnie Scruggs and their daughter Marti."

Damon groaned. "They must have been the people who drove Selina and Elena into town," Damon said. "I saw them; they were absolute rubes." Just then, they heard some noise at the kitchen window. Cameras began to flash and a crew of journalists clambered and pushed to get to the front and began shouting questions at them: "Did you know that your wife was cheating on you with Christian Blake?" "Do you consider your sister-in-law a stable individual?" "Where is your wife now?"

Damon and Stefan managed to get the doors and windows shut tight and locked. "What do you want to do now?" Stefan asked. "Should we try and sneak out of here so that we can warn Selina before they catch up to her?"

"No," Damon said. "Let's wait a little while; Selina said that Elena wanted to meet her because Elena had something that she wanted Selina to know. Maybe this is it."

* * *

"So," Selina said when she and Elena were seated with their coffees, "what is it you wanted to tell me about?"

"You made the paper," Elena told her, pushing it forward. Selina looked down at it and gasped. "Oh my god," she said. "That's me! And this isn't a paper! It's a sleazy supermarket tabloid! How the hell did this happen?" She began banging her head against the table.

"Apparently Hank, Minnie and Marti sold you out," Elena said. "And now the journalists probably have the boarding house surrounded, I bet."

"So I can't go back there," Selina said. "What am I going to do?"

"You could come home with me," Elena said. "It's probably the last place the journalists would look for you."

"Oh yes, I'm sure your aunt would _love_ to have me," Selina said. "Seeing as last time I stayed with you, I almost killed your brother."

"It'll be fine," Elena said. "Don't worry about it; I can talk her into it. Besides, how many other options do you have?"

"Not many," Selina admitted. "All right; I'll take you up on your offer." They finished up their drinks, got into Elena's car and drove to the Gilbert house. "Hello?" Elena called when they got inside. "Jenna, are you home? I brought Sophia to stay for a little while if that's all right."

"Jenna's not here." The voice was light, but it made Elena freeze. "But it _is_ all right that you brought your little friend over. I've been wanting to meet her."

"Uncle John," Elena looked at the man who sat at the kitchen tabe nursing a beer. "What are you doing here? Where did Jenna go?"

John took a sip of his drink and looked up. "She and that history teacher of yours went out to breakfast two hours ago and haven't come back yet. I thought I'd come over and watch things while she was gone." He moved his gaze to Selina who was standing behind Elena. "Go ahead and come in," he said jovially. "Take a seat in the living room; Elena's told me _so much _about you that I feel like I know you even though we haven't actually met."

Selina laughed nervously. "I wish I could say the same thing about you."

John opened his mouth to speak, but Elena cut him off. "Sophia, this is my uncle John Gilbert. Uncle John, this is my friend, Sophia Warren."

"Don't you mean _Selina_ Warren?" John asked. "And technically I'm not Elena's uncle. I'm her father."

Selina's eyes widened. "Only biologically," Elena said quickly. "He's far from living up to the title in any other way."

It took awhile before Selina was able to find her voice again. "So you're Elena's father," she said.

"Yep," John nodded. "And you've heard a lot about me?" Selina said. "Just how much?"

"He's read a lot about you," Elena said again before John could speak. "In the Gilbert family journals and everything. About how the original Jonathan Gilbert told your son that you were a vampire and not just dead. And not only a vampire, but a _good_ vampire as well. I told him too."

"Thanks," Selina said, smiling. "I feel like getting a drink," she said, standing up. She turned to Elena. "Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "You go ahead; I don't need anything."

Once Selina was gone, John stood up. "And just what was that?" He asked. "You were acting like her friend or something."

"I'm not _acting_ like her friend. I _am_ her friend," Elena snapped. "And I would appreciate it if you would be a bit more dscreet. I just got her to like me again after the last time I screwed up, and if you tell her about the other things I told you, it's going to get me a lot worse than gum in my hair and a black eye."

"Fine," John said. "But remember: everything I'm doing is for your own good."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said.

After that, Selina came back with the juice. The three of them sat in stony silence until the doorbell rang. "Who's that?" Elena asked.

"Just an old friend," John said. "Stay right there. I want you to meet him."

He soon returned to the living room, followed by a tall, wiry man with thick dark hair and strange golden eyes. "Girls," John said as the new guy sat next to him, "this is my friend, Gabe Hardy. Gabe, this is my daughter, Elena and her friend, Selina Warren, the girl I was telling you about."

Gabe's eyes lit up when he saw Selina. "You weren't exaggerating about her, John."

Selina watched him for a moment, and then whispered something to Elena. "We need to go to the bathroom," Selina said, standing up. "Will you excuse us a minute?" Before the two men could say anything, the girls left the room and locked themselves in the bathroom that was farthest away.

"Are you _sure_ that guy's a werewolf?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I can sense it. But why would your uncle/father bring him here? Actually, I have some idea. Just like your biological mother, he totally rubs me the wrong way."

Elena nodded. "Believe me, you aren't the only one. What should we do?"

"The only thing we _can_ do," Selina said. "Sneak out of here and go to Tyler's. Uncle Jacob or one of my other cursed relatives is probably hanging out there. They can help us."

* * *

Caroline quickly let Elena and Selina in when they arrived at the Lockwood Mansion. "I'm so glad you two are here," she said. "I've been trying to pick out a china pattern for the wedding and there are two that I really like."

"Have you asked Tyler what he thinks?" Selina asked as she stepped inside. "I've read in several magazine articles that if you let your fiance have a say in the wedding planning, it actually improves your bond as a couple."

"She _did_ ask me," Tyler said, coming down the stairs. "But I told her I liked them both."

"Hi," Selina said, grabbing his arm to guid him down the stairs. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks," Tyler said. "What brings you here?"

"We have a problem," Selina said. "One of your uncle Mason's werewolf buddies from Florida has shown up and we don't know why he's here or what to do about it." Selina sighed. "The one time I need him and he's dead; that's just so typical. Granted I was the one who killed him, but still." Suddenly, she felt a touch on her shoulder. She looked up and squealed. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Mason just grinned. "You called, I came. I'm easy like that. So, what's the trouble?"

Selina cleared her throat. "When you were in Florida, was one of your little werewolf buddies named Gabe Hardy?"

Mason's expression darkened. "Yes," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"He and my uncle are friends," Elena said. "Now he's visiting and Selina and I suspect he's up to no good."

"I would be inclined to agree with you," Mason said. "Gabe's unstable, even for a werewolf. They threw him out just before I came back here because they thought he would expose the pack to the community."

"Wait," Selina said. "So you're telling me that an unstable werewolf is going to be set loose on Mystic Falls?"

"Yep," Mason nodded. "I take it you've seen him?"

"Yeah," Elena said. "That's why we came here. What should we do about it?"

"I'll let Uncle Jacob know," Mason said.

"I got him and Aunt Amelia watching the pack down in Florida when Michael ousted me from my body," Tyler said.

Mason grinned and came to stand next to his nephew. "I heard about that," he said. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "They let me out of the hospital this morning. But it wasn't all bad. I got engaged because of it."

"Really?" Mason asked.

"Yes," Caroline nodded. "And don't worry; Jacob's already given us the vampire-werewolf marriage lecture."

Mason laughed. "I'll go keep an eye on Gabe," he said. "Where is he now?"

"At my house," Elena said. She gave him the address and Mason disappeared.

"Jeez," Caroline said, looking at Selina. "Between the headline in the tabloid and the crazy werewolf, you're having a rough day, aren't you?"

Selina nodded. "Tell me about it."

* * *

The beginning of the week of Tyler and Caroline's wedding brought a distubing new development in the Christian Blake murder trial. After days of painstakingly examining the crime scene, the investigators concluded that their initial assumption that Christian Blake was murdered during a night robbery was false. There were no signs of forced entry from outside, and after questioning the house staff, it was determined that Sylvia Spence was the only person who could have committed the crime, as no one had actually _heard_ a break in that night. After the story broke, things just got worse.

"What am I going to do?" Selina asked Caroline and Elena while the three of them worked out the seating arrangement for the wedding. "What if the police haul me in for questioning? What am I going to say?"

"Just tell them the truth," Caroline said. "No one can get in trouble for telling the truth."

"Except for if the truth is that I committed the murder but don't remember doing it because the full moon made me nutty," Selina said. "No one will believe that."

"So you could cop an insanity plea," Caroline said. "People who cop insanity pleas don't get sent to jail."

"No," Selina said morosely. "They just get institutionalized until the day they die. And that can't happen to me."

"You could stake yourself after twenty or thirty years," Caroline said.

"Do me a favor," Selina told her. "I know you're trying to be helpful. Stop it." She peered at Caroline's name plates. "And I wouldn't put Richard and Carol next to each other if I was you," she said. "They got along because of Tyler's difficulties, but any little thing could set them off."

"Oh, my god," Elena said, pointing. "Look out the window." Selina and Caroline looked and were blinded by a camera flash. A moment later, the person with the camera pulled it away from his face. It was Hank Scruggs. "Hi girls," he said. "Nice to see you again." He then disappeared from the window. Selina and Elena looked at one another. "That fink is so dead," Selina breathed. "You want to come and catch him with me?"

"Of course," Elena said. She grabbed an umbrella from the holder by the door and the two of them went outside the house, finding not only Hank, but Minnie and Marti as well. The other three saw them and took off running, but Selina and Elena caught up to them. In the scuffle, the camera was broken, and the Scruggs family ended up unconscious. With Caroline's help, Selina and Elena got them inside. "I _so_ want to kill them," Selina said.

"That's understandable," Caroline said. "But with the Christian Blake thing going on, I don't think any more murders should be able to be attributed to you."

"Then what are we going to do with them?" Selina asked.

Elena smiled. "I've got an idea."

* * *

That night, the girls put the Scruggses in the backseat of their car and Selina drove them out to the middle of a forest, parking the car. "All right," she said, twisting around and clutching Hank's shoulders. "You don't remember anything out of the ordinary happening in the last few weeks," she said.

Hank nodded. "I don't remember anything weird."

Caroline took hold of Minnie. "Nothing weird has happened the last couple of weeks and you were going for a nice drive."

"Yeah," Selina told them all. "Nice until the aliens showed up. They brought you up to their saucer and probed you, among other grotesque medical experiments. Before they brought you back down, they warned you that they might just come back. Unless you never speak another word about Sylvia Spence ever again. Any of you." After that, they moved Hank and Minnie to the front of the car, with Hank in the driver's seat. "You," Caroline said to Hank, "will drive home after we leave this car. And your daughter will have no unusual memories either."

The girls left the car, and as soon as it drove away, they burst into giggles. "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Hill," Selina said.

* * *

Tyler and Caroline's wedding went off mostly without a hitch. Everyone was getting along, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome. Then, during the vows, it happened: the minister was saying "if anyone has cause why these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace," and a SWAT team burst in, guns drawn. "Sylvia Spence," one of them said. "You are under arrest for the murder of Christian Blake."


	30. Freaky Friday

Damon awoke the next morning to the sound of the shower. He felt around on the bed beside him and saw that Selina was gone. "Lina?" He called. A moment later, the shower stopped and Selina poked her head out the bathroom door. "Yeah?" she said, her damp hair hanging in her eyes. "What's the matter? Are you all right?"

"Yeah," He nodded, getting out of bed. "I was just disoriented for a minute. You can get back to showering if you need to."

"As a matter of fact, I'm done." She opened the bathroom door and stepped out. She was barefoot and wearing a white terry cloth robe with pink around the edges. "Sorry I woke you up. I was hoping to shower and dress and then steathily slip out of here with you being none the wiser."

"That's friendly," Damon said wryly. "You aren't planning on doing anything illegal, are you?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's just that it's kind of early, and I know how you like to sleep in. I was planning on leaving a note with Stefan for when you came downstairs. I wouldn't leave you completely in the dark. Elena called an hour or so ago and asked me if I would come meet her for coffee. She said she had something to tell me."

"Did she say what?" Damon asked.

Selina shook her head and then went into her closet. "She just said she had something to tell me."

Damon walked over to Selina's closet and put his hads on the doorframe. "Are you all right?" He asked.

Selina turned. "Sure I am," she said. "Why would you ask?" She began rifling through her skirts.

"It's just that last night, you talked in a way I haven't heard you talk in years." He reached out and put a hand on her wrist. "It looks cold out today; I'd wear jeans if I were you."

"Thanks," Selina stopped going through her skirts and headed to her chest of drawers. She picked out a pair of dark wash jeans and turned back to him. "About last night: I'm sorry. I _did_ get a little overemotional, didn't I?"

Damon shrugged. "Nothing to be sorry about. If you're really freaked out about something, we can talk about it. Is something really wrong?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Thanks for the reassurance and all, but I think I can handle it. If things _do _get bad enough, you'll be the first I tell." She smiled. "Now that you've instructed me about my legwear, do you have opinions on anything else?"

"Sweater," Damon said immediately. "Try the red cableknit sweater. That should keep you warm enough."

Selina soon emerged from her and Damon's bedroom in the red sweater, dark wash jeans and chocolate ankle boots. "How are you planning to meet Elena?" Damon followed close behind, throwing a t-shirt on as he headed out the door and down the stairs. "She's coming to pick me up," Selina said. The honk of a horn outside drew Selina's attention. "There she is. I'll be back in awhile."

As soon as Selina disappeared outside, Damon stepped into the kitchen. Stefan, who was reading a paper, looked up at him. "Are you all right?" He asked. "Is something wrong?" Damon sat down next to him. "Lina was acting weird last night."

"How so?" Stefan asked. "Was it because of the accident?"

Damon shook his head. "She kept talking about our last days as humans and worrying about whether or not the world was going to end today. I haven't heard her talk like that for years."

"But you weren't around her for years," Stefan reminded him. "When she was stuck alone in Dr. Stensrund's house, she probably thought and talked like that all the time. Did she really say that she thought the world was going to end today?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "Or something like that. What are you reading?"

Stefan shut it and pushed it toward him. "Just a little something I picked up at the supermarket. Look who's on the cover."

Damon looked down and swore sharply. A picture of Selina took up the entire cover of the paper, which was actually a supermarket tabloid. "_Blake Mystery Woman Named; Sylvia Spence a Married Woman! _the headline screamed. "Is this the whole reason why you bought it?" He asked Stefan, gesturing at the cover.

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "And wait until you read the story."

Damon opened the paper to the page where the story on Selina began, leafing through it quickly and not reading any of the words. When he was finished, he shut the paper and looked up at Stefan. "Do you think Elena had anything to do with this? And don't say no just because the two of you are dating."

"If you'll actually read the story," Stefan said, turning to the second page, "the magazine says that their source was a couple named Hank and Minnie Scruggs and their daughter Marti."

Damon groaned. "They must have been the people who drove Selina and Elena into town," Damon said. "I saw them; they were absolute rubes." Just then, they heard some noise at the kitchen window. Cameras began to flash and a crew of journalists clambered and pushed to get to the front and began shouting questions at them: "Did you know that your wife was cheating on you with Christian Blake?" "Do you consider your sister-in-law a stable individual?" "Where is your wife now?"

Damon and Stefan managed to get the doors and windows shut tight and locked. "What do you want to do now?" Stefan asked. "Should we try and sneak out of here so that we can warn Selina before they catch up to her?"

"No," Damon said. "Let's wait a little while; Selina said that Elena wanted to meet her because Elena had something that she wanted Selina to know. Maybe this is it."

* * *

"So," Selina said when she and Elena were seated with their coffees, "what is it you wanted to tell me about?"

"You made the paper," Elena told her, pushing it forward. Selina looked down at it and gasped. "Oh my god," she said. "That's me! And this isn't a paper! It's a sleazy supermarket tabloid! How the hell did this happen?" She began banging her head against the table.

"Apparently Hank, Minnie and Marti sold you out," Elena said. "And now the journalists probably have the boarding house surrounded, I bet."

"So I can't go back there," Selina said. "What am I going to do?"

"You could come home with me," Elena said. "It's probably the last place the journalists would look for you."

"Oh yes, I'm sure your aunt would _love_ to have me," Selina said. "Seeing as last time I stayed with you, I almost killed your brother."

"It'll be fine," Elena said. "Don't worry about it; I can talk her into it. Besides, how many other options do you have?"

"Not many," Selina admitted. "All right; I'll take you up on your offer." They finished up their drinks, got into Elena's car and drove to the Gilbert house. "Hello?" Elena called when they got inside. "Jenna, are you home? I brought Sophia to stay for a little while if that's all right."

"Jenna's not here." The voice was light, but it made Elena freeze. "But it _is_ all right that you brought your little friend over. I've been wanting to meet her."

"Uncle John," Elena looked at the man who sat at the kitchen tabe nursing a beer. "What are you doing here? Where did Jenna go?"

John took a sip of his drink and looked up. "She and that history teacher of yours went out to breakfast two hours ago and haven't come back yet. I thought I'd come over and watch things while she was gone." He moved his gaze to Selina who was standing behind Elena. "Go ahead and come in," he said jovially. "Take a seat in the living room; Elena's told me _so much _about you that I feel like I know you even though we haven't actually met."

Selina laughed nervously. "I wish I could say the same thing about you."

John opened his mouth to speak, but Elena cut him off. "Sophia, this is my uncle John Gilbert. Uncle John, this is my friend, Sophia Warren."

"Don't you mean _Selina_ Warren?" John asked. "And technically I'm not Elena's uncle. I'm her father."

Selina's eyes widened. "Only biologically," Elena said quickly. "He's far from living up to the title in any other way."

It took awhile before Selina was able to find her voice again. "So you're Elena's father," she said.

"Yep," John nodded. "And you've heard a lot about me?" Selina said. "Just how much?"

"He's read a lot about you," Elena said again before John could speak. "In the Gilbert family journals and everything. About how the original Jonathan Gilbert told your son that you were a vampire and not just dead. And not only a vampire, but a _good_ vampire as well. I told him too."

"Thanks," Selina said, smiling. "I feel like getting a drink," she said, standing up. She turned to Elena. "Do you want me to bring you anything?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "You go ahead; I don't need anything."

Once Selina was gone, John stood up. "And just what was that?" He asked. "You were acting like her friend or something."

"I'm not _acting_ like her friend. I _am_ her friend," Elena snapped. "And I would appreciate it if you would be a bit more dscreet. I just got her to like me again after the last time I screwed up, and if you tell her about the other things I told you, it's going to get me a lot worse than gum in my hair and a black eye."

"Fine," John said. "But remember: everything I'm doing is for your own good."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said.

After that, Selina came back with the juice. The three of them sat in stony silence until the doorbell rang. "Who's that?" Elena asked.

"Just an old friend," John said. "Stay right there. I want you to meet him."

He soon returned to the living room, followed by a tall, wiry man with thick dark hair and strange golden eyes. "Girls," John said as the new guy sat next to him, "this is my friend, Gabe Hardy. Gabe, this is my daughter, Elena and her friend, Selina Warren, the girl I was telling you about."

Gabe's eyes lit up when he saw Selina. "You weren't exaggerating about her, John."

Selina watched him for a moment, and then whispered something to Elena. "We need to go to the bathroom," Selina said, standing up. "Will you excuse us a minute?" Before the two men could say anything, the girls left the room and locked themselves in the bathroom that was farthest away.

"Are you _sure_ that guy's a werewolf?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I can sense it. But why would your uncle/father bring him here? Actually, I have some idea. Just like your biological mother, he totally rubs me the wrong way."

Elena nodded. "Believe me, you aren't the only one. What should we do?"

"The only thing we _can_ do," Selina said. "Sneak out of here and go to Tyler's. Uncle Jacob or one of my other cursed relatives is probably hanging out there. They can help us."

* * *

Caroline quickly let Elena and Selina in when they arrived at the Lockwood Mansion. "I'm so glad you two are here," she said. "I've been trying to pick out a china pattern for the wedding and there are two that I really like."

"Have you asked Tyler what he thinks?" Selina asked as she stepped inside. "I've read in several magazine articles that if you let your fiance have a say in the wedding planning, it actually improves your bond as a couple."

"She _did_ ask me," Tyler said, coming down the stairs. "But I told her I liked them both."

"Hi," Selina said, grabbing his arm to guid him down the stairs. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks," Tyler said. "What brings you here?"

"We have a problem," Selina said. "One of your uncle Mason's werewolf buddies from Florida has shown up and we don't know why he's here or what to do about it." Selina sighed. "The one time I need him and he's dead; that's just so typical. Granted I was the one who killed him, but still." Suddenly, she felt a touch on her shoulder. She looked up and squealed. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Mason just grinned. "You called, I came. I'm easy like that. So, what's the trouble?"

Selina cleared her throat. "When you were in Florida, was one of your little werewolf buddies named Gabe Hardy?"

Mason's expression darkened. "Yes," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"He and my uncle are friends," Elena said. "Now he's visiting and Selina and I suspect he's up to no good."

"I would be inclined to agree with you," Mason said. "Gabe's unstable, even for a werewolf. They threw him out just before I came back here because they thought he would expose the pack to the community."

"Wait," Selina said. "So you're telling me that an unstable werewolf is going to be set loose on Mystic Falls?"

"Yep," Mason nodded. "I take it you've seen him?"

"Yeah," Elena said. "That's why we came here. What should we do about it?"

"I'll let Uncle Jacob know," Mason said.

"I got him and Aunt Amelia watching the pack down in Florida when Michael ousted me from my body," Tyler said.

Mason grinned and came to stand next to his nephew. "I heard about that," he said. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "They let me out of the hospital this morning. But it wasn't all bad. I got engaged because of it."

"Really?" Mason asked.

"Yes," Caroline nodded. "And don't worry; Jacob's already given us the vampire-werewolf marriage lecture."

Mason laughed. "I'll go keep an eye on Gabe," he said. "Where is he now?"

"At my house," Elena said. She gave him the address and Mason disappeared.

"Jeez," Caroline said, looking at Selina. "Between the headline in the tabloid and the crazy werewolf, you're having a rough day, aren't you?"

Selina nodded. "Tell me about it."

* * *

The beginning of the week of Tyler and Caroline's wedding brought a distubing new development in the Christian Blake murder trial. After days of painstakingly examining the crime scene, the investigators concluded that their initial assumption that Christian Blake was murdered during a night robbery was false. There were no signs of forced entry from outside, and after questioning the house staff, it was determined that Sylvia Spence was the only person who could have committed the crime, as no one had actually _heard_ a break in that night. After the story broke, things just got worse.

"What am I going to do?" Selina asked Caroline and Elena while the three of them worked out the seating arrangement for the wedding. "What if the police haul me in for questioning? What am I going to say?"

"Just tell them the truth," Caroline said. "No one can get in trouble for telling the truth."

"Except for if the truth is that I committed the murder but don't remember doing it because the full moon made me nutty," Selina said. "No one will believe that."

"So you could cop an insanity plea," Caroline said. "People who cop insanity pleas don't get sent to jail."

"No," Selina said morosely. "They just get institutionalized until the day they die. And that can't happen to me."

"You could stake yourself after twenty or thirty years," Caroline said.

"Do me a favor," Selina told her. "I know you're trying to be helpful. Stop it." She peered at Caroline's name plates. "And I wouldn't put Richard and Carol next to each other if I was you," she said. "They got along because of Tyler's difficulties, but any little thing could set them off."

"Oh, my god," Elena said, pointing. "Look out the window." Selina and Caroline looked and were blinded by a camera flash. A moment later, the person with the camera pulled it away from his face. It was Hank Scruggs. "Hi girls," he said. "Nice to see you again." He then disappeared from the window. Selina and Elena looked at one another. "That fink is so dead," Selina breathed. "You want to come and catch him with me?"

"Of course," Elena said. She grabbed an umbrella from the holder by the door and the two of them went outside the house, finding not only Hank, but Minnie and Marti as well. The other three saw them and took off running, but Selina and Elena caught up to them. In the scuffle, the camera was broken, and the Scruggs family ended up unconscious. With Caroline's help, Selina and Elena got them inside. "I _so_ want to kill them," Selina said.

"That's understandable," Caroline said. "But with the Christian Blake thing going on, I don't think any more murders should be able to be attributed to you."

"Then what are we going to do with them?" Selina asked.

Elena smiled. "I've got an idea."

* * *

That night, the girls put the Scruggses in the backseat of their car and Selina drove them out to the middle of a forest, parking the car. "All right," she said, leaning forward and clutching Hank's shoulders. "You don't remember anything out of the ordinary happening in the last few weeks," she said.

Hank nodded. "I don't remember anything weird."

Caroline took hold of Minnie. "Nothing weird has happened the last couple of weeks and you were going for a nice drive."

"Yeah," Selina told them all. "Nice until the aliens showed up. They brought you up to their saucer and probed you, among other grotesque medical experiments. Before they brought you back down, they warned you that they might just come back. Unless you never speak another word about Sylvia Spence ever again. Any of you." After that, they moved Hank and Minnie to the front of the car, with Hank in the driver's seat. "You," Caroline said to Hank, "will drive home after we leave this car. And your daughter will have no unusual memories either."

The girls left the car, and as soon as it drove away, they burst into giggles. "Goodbye Mr. and Mrs. Hill," Selina said.

* * *

Tyler and Caroline's wedding went off mostly without a hitch. Everyone was getting along, the bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome. Then, during the vows, it happened: the minister was saying "if anyone has cause why these two should not be wed, let them speak now or forever hold their peace," and a SWAT team burst in, guns drawn. "Sylvia Spence," one of them said. "You are under arrest for the murder of Christian Blake."


	31. I Fought the Law

Caroline and Tyler both turned. "What?" Caroline asked, looking at Selina. "What is he talking about?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. Apparently, someone by the name of Sylvia Spence is under arrest for the murder of Christian Blake. But I don't know who that is." She looked meaningfully at Caroline. "Do you?" She shook her head. Selina looked around. "Does anyone here know someone by the name of Sylvia Spence?"

"No," Mayor Lockwood stepped forward. "Gentlemen," he said. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way for no reason, but there isn't a Sylvia Spence here. Now if you don't mind, put down your guns and leave immediately. We're trying to have a wedding here."

The head of the SWAT team put up his gun and advanced on Mayor Lockwood so that they were practically nose to nose. "And what are you going to do if we don't leave?" He asked. "Are you going to call the law upon us? We _are_ the law, sir."

"Yep," said another, removing his helmet and grabbing Selina roughly by the arm. "And we've been instructed to take this one with us."

"You have the wrong person!" Selina cried. "What evidence do you have to arrest me?"

The officer kept his hold on her while another produced a copy of the tabloid Stefan had been reading earlier, turning it to the article about Selina and showing it to her. "Here are the pictures," he said. "These photos are indisputable evidence that you, Sylvia Spence, murdered Christian Blake. Now stop wasting our time and come with us to the station, or we'll add a charge of resisting arrest to your record."

As they tried to drag her away, Selina locked eyes with Damon. "Remember how I told you that if anything was truly wrong with me, you would be the first I would tell? Well this is as wrong as it could get."

"What do you want me to do?" Damon asked.

The officer that had a hold on her burst into cruel laughter. "Do your worst," he said. "I doubt it will get you anywhere." At that moment, he pulled Selina's hands behind her back and slapped a pair of cuffs on her, causing her to scream in angony. "Get them off!" She cried as the police officer shoved her to the ground. "Get them off! They hurt! They hurt!" Her eyes were bloodshot and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Contact with the floor was causing her raspberry bridesmaid dress to wrinkle, and her shoulders to get scraps and scratches since the dress was strapless.

"What's the matter with her?" Caroline whispered to Tyler. "We should go help her, whatever it is."

Tyler, who was watching Selina intently as she writhed and moaned on the floor, shook his head. "No," he said. "I can't. But you can."

Caroline's eyes widened. "What do you mean you can't help her? She's your cousin! You should do something!"

"Those are solid silver cuffs," Tyler muttered under his breath. "If I try and give her the help she wants, I'll end up like that too."

"I think we should try and get rid of the police officers first," Elena said. "Then once we get the herd thinned out, we can move Selina and get the cuffs off. But I don't think we should try and do it before then."

Damon was watching Selina writhe. "I can't do that," he said. "I don't think she can wait that long. I'm going to make a move. The rest of you fight off who you can." He then strode over to the officer who stood over his writhing wife and calmly broke his neck. Then he looked down at Selina. "Hold on a minute," he told her. "Just one more minute. Then we'll get the cuffs off, I promise." Selina moaned and more tears ran down her cheeks, but she nodded and he turned around just in time to kill two more of the SWAT team. All the while the fight was going on, the skies gradually darkened. Rain began to pour in sheets. Lightning flashed and loud crashes of thunder rocked the foundation of the building, causing bits of the wall to come flaking off, as if Mother Nature herself were protesting the capture of an innocent victim.

Eventually, the SWAT officers thinned, and Caroline and Elena managed to get Selina to a chair, where Caroline quickly snapped the cuff chains in two, and then slowly got the cuffs off Selina's wrists. The skin underneath the cuffs was cut deeply. Around the cut was something resembling a burn, deep red and painful. "God," Caroline breathed. "No wonder you were screaming. That looks horrible."

"It hurts," Selina said. "I just want to leave here. I'm sorry this had to ruin your big day. All this fuss about a picture in a tabloid and a story given to them by a family from Pigeon Forge."

"It's not your fault," Caroline said. "These things happen." She watched as Damon, Stefan and Tyler worked on the last couple of SWAT officers. "Will you be all right getting home by yourself? With your wrists looking like that, you probably shouldn't be driving, otherwise I'd let you take my car."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I'll walk, thanks. I'll probably stay at the house for the rest of the day once I get there. Recovery and all."

Elena nodded. "You do that and we'll call you tonight to check up on you."

"Thanks," Selina said as the other two helped her stand up. She then left the room and made her way to the front door. But just as she reached the door, the power went out. Then two hands grabbed her from behind and gently nudged her in the direction of a small maintenance closet, opening the door and pushing her inside, making sure she landed on a pile of towels. Selina could just make out her assailant. It was a slim young woman wearing a dress and hat. "Give me your clothes," the young woman whispered. "You take mine, put them on, and as soon as I'm gone, you run out the door and don't look back. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Selina said as she removed her dress, wincing all the while. A minute later, the young woman's dress was in her lap. She put it on and then her assailant helped zip her up. "Now go," the other woman whispered. "I can handle things here. The most important thing is that you get away. Do you understand me?"

Selina grinned. "_Si."_ She said "I understand."

The girl nodded. "All right." Giving Selina a hand, she pulled her up, opened the closet door, and Selina ran for her life. As she was leaving the parking lot, a man dressed as a police officer grabbed her arm and began pulling her toward his car, surprisingly a champagne colored cadillac. "Wow," Selina said. "Did they give you a good car, or what?" Surprised by this puzzling developement, she obeyed without protest when the officer asked her to get in the car. However, she didn't get a good look at his face until after he'd locked her in.

"Surprise," he said, taking off his cap. "Happy to see me?"

"_You_." Selina breathed sharply, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want with me?"

"Nothing nefarious," Gabe said. "You're under arrest and I have been chosen to be your legal counsel."

"Technically it doesn't count," Selina said. "They didn't read me my Miranda rights before they cuffed me. Don't they have to do that before it counts?"

"Yes," Gabe nodded. "Would you be willing to come down to the police station with me and to surrender formally? It would just make things easier if you did."

Selina sighed. "All right. "If it'll make things easier, I'll come down to the police station. Are they going to have to extradite me to New Jersey to stand trial?"

"No," Gabe shook his head as he began to drive. "Because you aren't going to be found guilty."

"Why not?" Selina asked. "I _did_ kill him. I'm not foolish enough to deny that."

"Well yes," Gabe said "But _how_ did you kill him?"

"I tore out his throat and ripped his heart from his chest." Selina said.

"Exactly," Gabe nodded. "And that's why you won't be found guilty; believe me, courts never look for supernatural reasons when they encounter a death. Killing someone in the way you did takes a lot of strength. The judge isn't going to see you as a murderess. He's going to be yelling at the prosecuting attorney for wasting his time."

"Really?" Selina asked. "How so?"

"Most of the judges around here, say eight out of ten, are over sixty. Now, not to sound chauvinistic or anything, but when the judge looks at you, all he's going to see is five feet and two inches of harmless girl."

"That'll help us," Selina said.

"Definitely," Gabe nodded. "So tell me," he said. "How did it _really_ happen?"

"It was the night of a full moon," Selina said. "That always makes me loopy. My husband the vampire genius decided to send me to Atlantic City with my cousin Tyler Lockwood; I believe you knew his uncle Mason?"

Gabe nodded. "Yeah. I knew Mason. And I hear Tyler's been initiated as well."

"Yep," Selina nodded. "It was entirely my fault, too. Anyway, picture me, with the werewolf gene and Tyler, a fully initiated werewolf in Atlantic City during a full moon with no supervision."

Gabe smiled. "Sounds like a blast. Wish I could have been there."

"Anyway," Selina continued, "I got drunk at a bar, Christian Blake picked me up and brought me back to his house, and while we were having sex, I ripped out his throat and tore open his chest cavity."

"Wow," Gabe said. "What a way to go."

* * *

A short time later, they arrivedat the police station. Selina surrendered formally and was read her Miranda rights, but when the police officers saw the condition her wrists were in, they agreed to release her into Gabe's custody rather than cuffing her and sticking her in a cell. "Well that went a lot better than I thought it would," Selina said. "Why did they just let me leave?"

"Well for one thing," Gabe said, "I've done a lot of cases involving extremely violent crimes committed by women, so they know I'll be a good guardian. Second, I think you scared them and they wanted you gone as soon as possible." He glanced at Selina's wrists again and sucked in his breath. "That looks painful."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Hideously." He looked at her dress, a knee-length sundress in teal with alternating patterns of black and silver leaves. "Why are you dressed up so nice? Was it a wedding?"

Selina nodded. "Tyler's as a matter of fact."

"Wow," Gabe whistled. "The SWAT team got you out of a _wedding_? That's low."

Selina rolled her eyes. "You're telling me. Where are we going now?"

"My house," Gabe said. "Or at least the one I rented. You wouldn't mind taking the couch bed, would you?"

* * *

Once again, Damon found himself at O'Neil's, drinking. He was on his third beer. He hadn't meant to come, but seeing Selina writing and screaming in pain was an image that was not easily going to leave his mind. After he finished the bottle, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned. A young woman stood before him, wearing Selina's bridesmaid dress and grinning widely. "Hi," she said. "I just wanted to let you know that I got out okay. I mean, I know Elena and Caroline knew, and I figured they would probably tell you, but I wanted to tell you too, since I disappeared so quckly and all and didn't say goodbye."

He blinked. "Thank you for letting me know," he said. "But I don't know why you're telling me this, whoever-you-are."

She put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I'm Selina. Your wife. The woman you were engaged to for 145 years but abandoned for Katerina Petrova."

Damon stood up. "No you aren't," he said. circling her. "I've been tricked before, but that time I didn't have to tell the difference between my wife and her illustrious forebearer. If I'm right, Lady Andria, at least have the decency to tell me the truth."

"Wow," Andria said, taking a seat next to him. "You're good."

"I should hope so," Damon said. "Besides, even though the two of you do look remarkably alike, there's always a way for me to tell the difference and it's nothing that you can duplicate."

"What?" Andria asked curiously.

"She has a tiny birthmark on the back of her neck that's shaped like a heart. No one looks for it except for people who already know it's there." Damon said. "But you did a remarkable impersonation."

Andria nodded. "That explains it. But I did get her out of the building. She should be all right unless she's gotten into some trouble in the interim that I don't know about."

"Thanks," Damon said. "Have you seen your parents yet? They're holed up in this house on the edge of town. I could bring you over if you want."

"No thank you," Andria said. "At least not yet. But I promise I'll reveal myself to Mama and Papa when the time is right." She paused and smiled at him. "And you can just call me Andria. I haven't been Lady Andria since my husband died and my son Paul become the Viscount. That was over 400 years ago."

* * *

Gabe was sorting through his files on Selina's case when he heard the voice behind him. "Hello, Gabe." He turned slowly and saw the form of Mason Lockwood leaning against the frame of his office door. "Hello, Mason," he said, unperturbed.

"What are you doing?" Mason asked, coming to stand behind him.

"Looking through the case file of my latest client," Gabe said. "Sylvia Spence AKA Selina Warren. She told me she's a cousin of yours."

Mason nodded. "She is. What exactly did she do?"

"She ripped Christian Blake's heart and throat out while they were having sex." He pulled out the crime scene photos and handed them to Mason. "Gruesome, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Mason nodded.

Gabe took them back and grinned. "I can't wait to get my own taste of that during the next full moon. Been awhile since I've had that level of excitement in my bedroom." Just then, Mason grabbed him by the throat and rammed him hard against the wall. "If you touch her," he said, "If you so much as _breathe_ on Selina, when I find out about it, the police will be finding your body for weeks."

Gabe just grinned. "You've slept with her, haven't you? She_ must _be good to make you so protective."

Mason hit Gabe against the wall until he was rendered unconscious, then he disappeared.

* * *

Elena hung up the phone for the third time and growled in frustration.

"What's the matter?" John asked. "Something I can help you with?"

"No," Elena glowered at him. "It's nothing that would interest you."

"Try me," John said.

"It's just that Selina got hurt at the wedding today and before she left for the boardinghouse to recover, I told her I'd call her tonight to see if she was all right. I've called three times and she hasn't answered. I'm getting worried."

"There's nothing to worry about, Elena," John told her. "I got a call from my friend Gabe. He picked Selina up as she was leaving from the wedding. She's with him now."

Elena's eyes widened. She went to her room, quickly dialing the boardinghouse. "Stefan," she said when he answered. "Selina is stuck at a crazy werewolf's house and the full moon is tomorrow. We need to get her out. Gather all the reinforcements you can. I have a feeling we're going to need them."


	32. Stronger

Stefan gripped the phone hard. "What do you mean Selina's at the crazy werewolf's house?"

"John just told me," Elena said, her voice shaking. "See, he has this friend named Gabe Hardy, and Selina told me that she knows he's a werewolf, and he came by the house and I saw him. He doesn't seem nice, Stefan."

"So you think Selina is in danger?" Stefan asked.

"That's why I want us to get a team together," Elena said.

"All right," Stefan breathed deeply. "Damon's not here, but when he shows up, I'll let him know what's going on." Just as he was telling Elena goodbye, he heard the front door open. "Damon?" he called. "Is that you?"

"Yeah," Damon called back. "And I brought a friend."

Stefan hung up the phone and followed the sound of his brother's voice. When he saw his brother's "friend" his eyes widened. "Selina?" he cried, "I just got a phone call from Elena saying that you got captured by a crazy werewolf. Was she just trying to trick me? Are you all right?"

When she didn't respond, Damon cleared his throat. "Look at her neck," he said. "And you will notice that something's missing."

Curious, Stefan looked at the young woman's neck from all sides. "I see what you mean," he said. "What happened to the birthmark?"

"I don't have one," she said, holding out her hand. "My name's Andria Warren. You must be Stefan. I'm so pleased to meet you."

Stefan shook her hand and then her expression became grave. "Now what is this about Selina being kidnapped by a crazy werewolf?"

"Just a minute," Stefan said. "_You're_ Andria Warren?"

"Yeah," Andria nodded. "Well, Andria Salvatore Warren if you _really_ want to be precise, which I always try to be if I can help it."

"But we always thought you were dead," Stefan said. "That's what your mother told us."

"Well," Andria sighed. "My mother doesn't know everything. She wasn't around when I caught tuberculosis after the birth of my second child, my daughter Eleanora. I was hacking my guts out all the time, and just after the surgeon told me that I was too ill to live much longer, I decided to take a walk one night. I told Alfred that I wanted one last look at the stars before it came time for me to leave the world. He nodded and kissed me goodbye, but instead of walking around and coming back, I ran away. I knew that before I died, I had to do one thing: I had to find Katerina Petrova and make her pay for what she did to my mother, my father and my uncle."

"Did you find her?" Stefan asked.

"I did," Andria nodded. "The sight of her filled me with so much anger. I _tried_ to kill her; I really did. But she saw how weak I was. She held me off easily. When she knocked me to the ground and came to stand over me, I thought she was going to kill me. Part of me kind of hoped she would; I knew I was going to die anyway. To my surprise, however, she didn't kill me. Instead, she told me to give her my hand. I was hesitant at first, but the look in her eyes gave me pause. It was a look almost of regret. Sadness. And longing. I stared at her for a little while and she held my gaze. Finally, I gave her my hand. She pulled me up.

" 'You're dying, aren't you Andria?' She asked as I coughed again, blood dripping down my chin. I nodded. 'Yes,' I whispered. Then she told me that she could help me, but wasn't sure if I wanted it. I asked her why she would want to help me.

"'You just had a child, didn't you'? she asked. I nodded. 'A little girl.' Then, she took my hand. 'Do you want to see her grow up?' I nodded. I told her that was what I wanted more than anything. So she told me she would give me her blood 'to make up for all that was coming out of me.' Then, she went and found some kind of poisonous plant and gave it to me to eat, and before I knew it, I was a vampire."

"Did Katherine show you the ropes?" Damon asked. "Even _she_ wouldn't be dumb enough to turn you and then release you in the world."

"Why not?" Stefan asked. "It's what she did with Caroline."

"Well, she turned Caroline to screw with us," Damon said. "It seems like her turning of Andria was the last altruistic thing she ever did."

"She showed me the ropes for a little while." Andria said. "We were always moving from place to place, to get away from a powerful vampire named Klaus. Then, when she thought I was stable enough, she told me to go home to my husband and hug my daughter. By the time I got home, Ella was two years old. Alfred was so stunned by the sight of me that he didn't speak for fully an hour. He just gazed at me. When he finally asked where I'd gone, I told him that I'd gotten lost and then been taken in by a family of merchants who treated me like a daughter. When they saw how ill was, they brought in a man they knew who had a reputation as a miracle worker. He cured me, but then told me that I had to stay away from the city for two years if I wanted the cure to work properly.

"Alfred just nodded. He then said that the man had indeed worked a miracle and that if he hadn't seen me be ill before, he never would have guessed that I had been."

"Oh my God," Stefan said. "Is that all true?"

Andria nodded. "Every word. Now about Selina being stuck in a house with a crazy werewolf…"

"Oh!" Stefan's eyes widened. "I almost forgot about that." He turned to Damon. "Apparently John Gilbert called up a friend of his who happens to be a werewolf, and the two of them concocted some plot that requires him to kidnap Selina, which he did right after she ran from the SWAT team. Elena told me to get a team together so we can go break her out."

"All right," Damon said. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" They sprinted from the room.

"Wait a minute!" Andria called after them. "You can't just go barreling into things; you have to have a plan."

"Here's the plan," Damon said, turning away from the door. "We get a team together, we raid the house, we kill everyone inside, and we take Selina back." He then pushed Stefan out the door and followed him before Andria could utter another word.

* * *

They got into Damon's car and drove to Elena's house. "We're here," Stefan said, knocking on Elena's bedroom window. "What do you want to do now?"

"Ric and Jenna are downstairs," Elena said. "And I happen to know that he still has all the weapons. We should bring him for that alone. We'll have to get him away from Jenna before we tell him, of course. And since we're dealing with werewolves, having Tyler along might be nice."

"He'll probably want to bring Caroline too," Damon said. "She might be more of a liability than a help."

Elena frowned. "You don't know that! Besides, we need everyone we can get!" After Elena went downstairs and got Alaric, the four of them drove to the Lockwood mansion. Caroline answered the door. "What's up?" she asked. She looked at Elena. "Have you gotten hold of Selina yet? Is she all right?"

"No, actually," Elena shook her head. "That's what we came to talk to you and Tyler about. Can we come in?"

"Oh, sure." Caroline held the door open, and the other four entered the house, following Caroline into the living room where Tyler sat on the couch, staring at the blue screen on the TV. "I stopped the DVD," he told Caroline. "I didn't want you to miss anything. Who was at the door?"

"These four," Caroline gestured at them. "They want to talk to us about Selina."

"Oh, right." Tyler turned off the TV. "How is she? Is she all right?"

"We don't know," Elena said. "But as of right now, we're banking on 'no.' My uncle John told me that a friend of his who happens to be a renegade werewolf kidnapped Selina after the wedding today."

Tyler's eyes widened. "Is this friend named Gabe Hardy? Uncle Mason says he's really dangerous."

"Exactly," Elena nodded. "That's why we need the two of you to come with us and help us rescue Selina from him."

"Sure," Caroline and Tyler said at the same time. The six of them left the house, with Caroline and Tyler following Damon's car in Tyler's truck. Then, they stopped off at the boarding house.

"You didn't tell me there was going to be a party," Andria said when she saw them troop into the kitchen. "Who _are_ all these people?"

Tyler turned to Damon. "I thought you said Selina was being held hostage by Gabe Hardy. She's sitting right there."

"That's not Selina," Damon said. "That's Andria. I'll tell you about her later. Now I just want to get the tools we need and be on our way."

"Where are you going?" Andria asked interestedly, leaning over the breakfast bar and resting her head on her arms, eyeing them intently.

"We're going to save Selina from an evil, psychotic werewolf who wants to kill her," Damon said curtly.

"Is that so?" Andria asked. "Because I really don't think you should."

"_What?_" The group all stared at her, aghast.

"Are you insane?" Damon finally managed to get out. "She's my wife and I love her. I _have_ to rescue her if I don't want her to die." He paused and gazed at Andria suspiciously. "Unless you're here to kill her."

"Oh, I don't want her to die either," Andria said earnestly, standing up straight. "But how about you try letting her rescue herself for a change? Am I right when I say you've always done the knight-in-shining armor act when she's been in trouble in the past?"

"Well, yes." Damon admitted. "But you can't say that I didn't have a good reason."

"I'm not saying you didn't," Andria told him. "I just think that it might do Selina some good to fight her own battles for once."

"Plus," Tyler reminded him, "Gabe's a complete nutcase. He'd probably kill you on the spot if he saw you. If Selina tried to kill him on her own, she'd probably have better luck."

"Oh, all right," Damon said. "We won't go rescue her." He sat down on one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

Andria watched him for a minute, then came to sit next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders. "What's the matter?" She asked. "Are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Damon nodded. "It's just that I think I know why I feel like I need to rescue her every time she gets in trouble; because of the one time she was in trouble and I wasn't there."

"When was that?" Andria asked.

"For a short time, I fought for the Confederacy," Damon said. "Selina didn't want me to go because she was terrified that I would die and she would never see me again. Since she'd lost her father when she was just a baby, I promised her I would quit after a few months and come back to stay. But when that time came around and I arrived home, Selina was nowhere to be seen. Katherine _was_, however. She told me that Selina had taken ill with scarlet fever a week or so prior to my return home. A few days later, Selina had sent a letter saying that Doctor Stensrund had cured her and that she was so grateful she'd decided to elope with him. Katherine compelled me to believe this, even though I eventually found out that Selina had remained faithful to me the whole time I was gone, and all that happened at Doctor Stensrund's after he cured her of her scarlet fever was that he told her she was pregnant with our child and insisted she should wait out her pregnancy at his house and have the child there."

"Wow," Andria said. "No wonder you feel guilty." She paused. "How about this: wait an hour, then you can go rescue Selina. All right?"

"All right," Damon said. Everyone else nodded. "We'll leave in an hour."

* * *

"It's so nice of you to take me in like this," Selina told Gabe as he pulled out the sofa bed and began putting the sheets on.

"It's really no problem," Gabe told her. "We wouldn't want your face on the front cover of anymore tabloids, would we?"

Selina scoffed. "Definitely not."

"By the way," Gabe said as he tucked the final corner of the sheet under the mattress, "Did you see the latest issue of that gossip rag? The people who ratted you out are on the front cover." He held it up. Selina took one look at the photograph of the Scruggs family, along with the headline proclaiming "We were abducted by aliens!" and began laughing.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?" Gabe said. "I knew it would amuse you."

"No," Selina shook her head. "That's not why I'm laughing. They were _compelled_ to think that. After Elena, Caroline and I caught them outside Tyler's house trying to get more pictures, we put them in their car, drove them out to the woods, and compelled them to forget all about me and the whole thing with Christian Blake, and got them to believe they'd been abducted by aliens instead."

"Wow," Gabe said. "That's impressive."

Selina smiled. "Thanks."

Looking at her smile, Gabe felt desire course through him. He would leave her alone for now, but later, after she'd fallen asleep, he would join her. To his surprise, she fell asleep almost immediately. He stood over her, watching her chest rise and fall. When he was sure she wouldn't wake up, he crawled into bed beside her and began planting slow kisses on her neck. As they deepened, she stirred. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked.

"I want you," he whispered.

They began to struggle. Finally, she managed to shove him off the bed and send him crashing hard into one of the side walls. He stood up after a few seconds and charged her, growling and exposing large white teeth. He managed to pin her down on the bed. She looked up at him, eyes wide and frightened. She was breathing hard. "I'd be nicer to me if I were you," he said. He began kissing her neck again. "Because if you aren't," he said between kisses, "the full moon is two days away, and if we happen to be with each other at the right moment, a kiss…could become a bite." Selina screamed as his teeth grazed her neck. He laughed. "And if you get bitten by a werewolf during a full moon, you know what happens to you, don't you, Selina?"

Suddenly, her face changed. "As a matter of fact, I do." With a force he wasn't prepared for, she put both her hands on his chest and pushed, sending him sprawling backwards again, this time into the home theater system. Selina hopped off the bed and ran to get her purse, grabbing two vials from it. When she got back to the living room, Gabe was up. He saw her and charged, but she managed to pin him to the floor. Then, she opened one of the vials and poured its entire contents on Gabe's face. He howled in agony. "Wolfsbane," Selina whispered. "Werewolf kryptonite; I always carry some around with me in case I run into creeps like you. Want some more?" Without waiting for him to answer, she dumped the other bottle on his arms and neck. He screamed in pain all the while.

A moment later, she looked up in surprise as Elena, Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Tyler and Alaric entered the living room. "Hi," she said. "What brings you all here?"

"We came to rescue you from Gabe," Elena got out once she managed to tear her eyes away from the burned body pinned underneath Selina. "But it looks like you did just fine on your own."

Selina grabbed a heavy frying pan from the kitchen and hit Gabe with it, knocking him out cold. "Yeah," she said. "I guess I didn't do too badly."

"Do you want to come home?" Damon asked, taking her hand.

"Yes," she nodded. "I do." She looked at Gabe pityingly. "The only bad thing about having to kill him is that he was my lawyer for the whole Christian Blake thing. Who's going to take care of me now?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Caroline said. "I read in one of the entertainment magazines that the case against you has been dismissed due to the fact that it's physically impossible for a tiny human woman like yourself to rip out the heart of a six foot tall male like Christian Blake."

Selina let out a sigh of relief. "Works for me."

When they got back to the boarding house, Andria put her arms around Selina. "Are you all right?" She asked. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Nothing that won't heal," Selina assured her. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Andria said. "Anything."

"Why did you come here?" Selina asked. "Was it because you wanted to see your parents again?"

"It has to _do_ with my parents," Andria said. "And you. Some guy named Elijah called. He told me that he was a friend of my mother's and that she needed my help with a project she was doing."

"Let me guess," Selina said. "Is the 'project' protecting me from Klaus?"

"Yeah," Andria nodded. "Yeah it is."


	33. Moondance

"Wow," Selina said. "Who knew?"

"I did," Andria said.

"That was a rhetorical question," Selina said dryly. "Why don't you want to see your parents yet? It would do your mother good. She's been smothering me ever since she showed up here because she feels horribly guilty for causing your death."

"There's something I have to do before I see my parents," Andria said seriously. "If they knew about it ahead of time, they might stop me." She paused. "Well, my father might not. But I _know_ my mother would."

"What do you have to do?" Selina asked.

Andria leaned forward. "Do you know why that werewolf attacked you?" She asked.

Selina thought a moment. "I don't know," she said finally.

"I do," Andria grabbed her hand and led her out of the living room to her room where the others wouldn't be able to hear their conversation.

"You know why Gabe tried to attack me?" Selina asked. "Why?"

"Do you know a person named John Gilbert?" Andria asked. "Elena said that he and Gabe are friends and the two of them made up a plot to get you."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I've met John Gilbert. He's Elena's biological father. Ever since your mother and Katherine got it into their heads that Klaus is on his way and that means that either Elena or I could be sacrificed to end the vampire curse, they've pitted us against each other in the hope of saving their respective doppelganger. And Elena's biological parents, _especially_ John, have a problem with the fact that she associates with vampires, and want to destroy all of us as quickly as possible. Why do you ask?"

Andria sighed. "Elena told Stefan and Junior that John called Gabe here specifically. Maybe it was to get you out of the way; I heard somewhere that werewolf bites kill vampires."

Selina let out a soft gasp. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. "Did Elena really say that John called Gabe here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Andria said. "I heard it with my own ears. Are you going to be all right?"

Selina shook her head. "I don't understand." She sat down on her bed. "See," she told Andria, "I'm not like every other vampire in existence; my mother was born into a family who, thanks to the fact that her grandfather was attacked by a werewolf while he was fighting in the Revolutionary War, have the potential to become werewolves and technically, that means I do too."

"Really?" Andria asked. "I had no idea."

Selina nodded. "Believe it. I have the gene just like my mother and every member of the Lockwood family after her grandfather. It comes in handy sometimes. Like usually, if a vampire gets bitten by a werewolf, it causes them to get some sort of weird rabies and live out the rest of existence in agony. However, since I have the werewolf gene, all a bite from a werewolf does to _me_ is turn me human again."

"Huh," Andria said in surprise. "I'm surprised you haven't looked up the nearest werewolf and gone in for a bite. Wouldn't you give anything to be human again?"

Selina scoffed. "Not at this point I wouldn't; not with Klaus possibly coming after me."

"Good point," Andria said.

"Here's something else for you to know," Selina continued. "One of my other cousins was part of a werewolf pack in Florida; two of the members of that pack came looking for the person who killed him once they found out he was dead. And then, my other cousin let it slip that I have the potential to become a werewolf, and now the pack is plotting to turn me human at the next full moon-tomorrow-so that they can add one more wolf to their pack. They want me because they believe I'll be good at killing vampires, which is important if the werewolf population is ever going to be big. So Klaus isn't the only threat we have to watch out for."

"Does anyone know about this werewolf thing outside of your mother's family?" Andria asked.

"A few people," Selina admitted. "But not very many."

"Have _you_ told anyone recently?" Andria asked.

"I _did _tell Elena," Selina admitted. "But my mother said it was okay." She paused. "God," she said. "_That's_ how he found out; Elena told him. She must have. It's the only way he could have known. And then John probably told Elena's mother Isobel, so she knows too. I don't know why I'm so surprised; she let it slip when I caught Junior cheating on me and got so upset that I asked my first husband, who happens to have been an Original and a buddy of Elijah's, to make me forget that Junior and I were ever together."

Andria sucked in a breath. "This is beginning to sound uncomfortably familiar to me."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Once again, history is repeating itself."

"What are you going to do?" Andria asked. "Are you going to confront her about it?"

Selina shook her head. "If I do, she'll probably just deny it; I think I'll go see your mom and put her on guard." She paused. "And when I get to the hideout," can I _at least _tell your mother that you're alive and going to come and see her later?"

"Sure," Andria said. "Go right ahead."

Selina stood up and left the room, heading toward the front door. "Where are you going?" Elena asked, coming up behind her as she was getting her coat from the closet.

Selina turned. "Nowhere," she said lightly. "At least nowhere that would interest you."

"Well, do you have to go now?" Elena asked. "We were just going to put in a movie."

"Yeah," Selina nodded and put on her coat. "I have to go now." She quickly turned away.

"What's the matter?" Elena asked, putting a hand on her arm. "Why are you so upset?"

Selina pushed her away. "Goodnight," she said, and strode out the door. She was right up next to Damon's car when she realized she didn't have the keys. Sighing, she began the long walk to the hideout, realizing that it was probably for the best; in the state she was in, she'd probably get in another accident if she drove.

* * *

Stella had just gotten out of the bathroom after her shower when she heard the knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she called.

Rose opened the door. "Your husband sent me up here," she said. "You told him you were going to shower more than an hour ago and he wanted to make sure you hadn't drowned yourself. Is something wrong? You've been out of sorts for the last week or so."

"I know," Stella said. "And I also realize that it's entirely irrational for me to feel like this. I mean we pulled a major coup. We captured Katherine for God's sake. I should be over the moon. But good things never last, do they?"

"Unfortunately no," Rose sat down on Stella's bed. "That's how the world is; you get a few brief moments of triumph, and then something happens that takes it all away."

"What do you think it's going to be this time?" Stella asked.

Rose shrugged. "I don't know."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Elijah entered a moment later. "Selina's returned," he said. "And she has bad news. Something that will require our immediate attention."

"Well, what is it?" Stella asked as she and Rose followed him down the stairs.

"I'll let her explain," Elijah said. They found Selina standing by the door looking perturbed.

"And what's _your_ problem?" Rose asked.

"Oh, nothing much; I've just been stabbed in the back by someone I thought I could trust." She ripped off her coat and slammed it down in front of the door.

"What did Elena do now?" Stella asked dryly.

"She told her biological father about my werewolf gene," Selina said. "And he called up one of his werewolf friends to try and turn me human so I would be just as eligible as Elena when Klaus shows up. I mean, I was able to kill the guy before he actually did much because it wasn't a full moon, but honestly."

"And speaking of full moons," Elijah told her, "the next one is tomorrow, so you're staying here where we can keep an eye on you until it's all over. We don't want another Christian Blake incident."

"Sounds good," Selina said. "Believe me, I don't want another Christian Blake incident either."

"So Elena's father literally threw you to the wolves," Rose said. "That must've been horrible. What do you plan to do about it? Does she know that you know?"

"She doesn't," Selina said. "I don't even know if it's true or not, but I figure it has to be; how else would they find out? I told a friend of mine what happened and she told me to confront Elena. I decided to come here and put you all on guard instead."

Stella shook her head. "We should have seen this coming; why didn't we see this coming?"

"Maybe because we have Katerina Petrova trapped in the basement instead of letting her be out plotting evil plots," Rose said.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Selina asked. "The fact that we captured Katherine is a good thing."

"In some ways it's good," Stella said. "And some ways it isn't. I see what you're getting at, Rose."

"Could someone buy me a vowel?" Selina asked.

"The necklace," Stella told her. "Remember, it allows me to spy on her and the rest of Elena's team as long as Katerina's wearing it? Well there's not much to be seen if she's just trapped in the basement."

"So are you going to let her go?" Selina asked.

"I think we should." Stella looked at Elijah. "What do you think?" She asked.

"I agree," Elijah nodded. "Then she'll run straight back to wherever it is that you found her and we can learn something new. And with the recent developments, it's imperative that we find out what we're up against."

"You should probably get drunk or something first, so she doesn't get suspicious and realize that we're on to her," Selina said.

"That's not a bad idea," Rose chimed in.

"I think you should do it," Stella said to Selina. "After all that's happened between Katerina and me, I don't think I'd ever lighten up enough to let her go."

"Even if she wasn't as bad to your daughter as you thought?" Selina asked.

"What do you mean?" Stella asked suspiciously, her eyes narrowing. "Selina, if Katerina's gotten to you somehow-"

"She hasn't," Elijah broke in. "Stella, your daughter is alive and well."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "She's at the boardinghouse, but she says she has to do something first before you can see her."

"How is she still alive?" Stella asked. "Tell me everything you know."

Elijah and Selina looked at one another. "I don't think it's the right time for you to know," Elijah said finally. "The only person who should tell you Andria's story is Andria. And it will happen eventually; you will hear all, I promise. You just have to be patient."

"But at least you know she's all right," Selina said. "You have that to hold on to. And make sure you tell your husband, too."

"All right," Stella sighed. She looked at Selina. "Do you _swear_ that she said she was going to come and see us?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "She just has to do something first, the nature of which you might not approve. She said Damon might, though."

"She probably wants to kill someone," Stella said dryly. "Her father would definitely approve of that."

"So," Selina said to change the subject, "did you want me to get drunk and release Katherine or not?"

"Sure," Rose said. "Knock yourself out."

* * *

Two hours later, Selina stumbled down the stairs to the basement. After nearly falling down three times, she ended up in front of Katherine, who tried not to laugh. "Oh, look," she said. "I have company. What do you want?"

Selina laughed. "You'd love to know that, wouldn't you?" She said. "It just so happens that I'm going to let you go."

"I'm not tied," Katherine said. "How exactly are you planning to let me go?"

"I know the magic words," Selina's voice slurred. Suddenly, she pitched forward and retched all over Katherine's front. "Sorry about that," Selina said when she was through. "You might want to wash that shirt when you get home." She stumbled over to an ironing board that was sticking out of the wall and grabbed the towel hanging off it. She threw it at Katherine and it hit her squarely in the face. "You can wipe yourself off with that," Selina said.

Katherine began gingerly wiping the vomit from her shirt while Selina stood over her muttering words. Suddenly, she felt curiously lighter, and when she leaned forward, was pleased to discover that she could actually stand up. Groaning at the hideous-smelling stain covering her front, she glared at Selina. "This isn't a trick, is it?" She asked. "You aren't letting me go just to have Stella or anyone else bring me back down here?"

Selina shook her head. "I'm drunk," she said. "Do you think I can be as devious as that in this condition?"

"No," Katherine laughed. "I guess not." She raced up the stairs and left the hideout. Selina, as drunk as she was, had been telling the truth; no one followed her or tried to stop her.

* * *

When Elena stomped into the study at Doctor Stensrund's that night, Isobel looked up from her books and rolled her eyes. "And just what is the matter now?"

"Selina's mad at me again," Elena said. "I wonder what I did this time; it probably has something to do with John putting Gabe on Selina's trail. But I didn't have anything to do with that, so I don't know what her problem is."

"But you _did_ have something to do with it," John said, coming into the room. "You were the one who told me that Selina had the werewolf gene so a bite could turn her human, thus making her as eligible as you to be the sacrifice."

"But how could she know that I did that?" Elena asked.

"Who cares how she feels," Isobel said. "The point is that Gabe did his job. Selina's human; if only Katherine were here to share in the moment."

Elena decided not to mention that Gabe had not only failed at his mission, but had died at Selina's hands, thus she was still a vampire. They would find out eventually and her big mouth had already caused enough trouble.

Just then, there was a knock at the study door. John got up to open it. He said, "speak of the devil."

"That's really kind," Katherine said as she came into the room.

"No," Isobel said, "I was literally just talking about you."

"And," John said, "We were also discussing how great it is that Selina's human now."

"She's not," Katherine said. "Whatever idiot you found to give her the bite failed miserably."

"_What_?" John cried. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Katherine said. "I just saw her an hour ago and she was as human as I am."

"Well, damn." John frowned and sat down in the chair next to Isobel. "I really thought Gabe was going to come through for me." He looked up at Katherine. "I thought Stella had you pretty well-guarded," he said. "How did you get out?"

"I was in the basement," Katherine said. "Selina came downstairs; she was incredibly drunk and she began muttering nonsense words that she claimed was the spell to set me free. It turned out she was right. Granted, she threw up all over me first, but freedom is freedom."

"All right," Isobel said. "Now that we know our werewolf is no longer dependable, what's our next move?"

"I think Selina might know that I told you about her werewolf gene," Elena said. "And she was plenty pissed off about it."

"Don't tell me," Isobel said dryly. "You were just overcome by guilt and had to confess everything to her."

"No," Elena said. "She and Andria were talking and I think Selina might have worked it out on her own."

Katherine started. "Andria?" She said. "Andria's here?"

"Yeah," Elena said.

"Who's Andria?" Isobel asked.

"The woman Selina is the double of," Katherine said. "Stella's daughter."

"Is she a vampire?" Isobel asked.

"Yes," Katherine nodded. "Because of me, I'm afraid. She was dying of consumption and she'd just had a little girl. When I saw Andria, I had this annoying flash of regret for what I did to her mother, and I tried to make up for it. But believe me, that was the _last_ time."

"Do you think she's someone to worry about?" Isobel asked.

"No," Katherine shook her head. "I wouldn't worry about her. And having her here is a stroke of luck because it will soften Stella up. Get her off her guard. This could just be the lucky break we've been waiting for."

* * *

The trailer park was untidy and many of the trailers were abandoned. That was why the pack had chosen it for their base. Now, they were all crammed into the biggest one discussing their plan for the full moon the following evening.

"All right," Jules said. "Tomorrow, we are going to get Selina. It's important that we don't make a mistake, do you understand me? We can't afford to. Not at this point."

"Where do you want to start?" Brady asked. "Should we do a sneak-and-snatch maneuver? It would be quickest."

"No, no." Jules shook her head. "We can't just kidnap her and take her away. We want her to become one of us; in a sense, she kind of is. We have to gain her trust if any of this is going to succeed."

"If we want her to trust us," Brady said pointedly, looking at Jules, "then that means neither you nor I can go to get her. She saw us in Atlantic City and you told her that you were planning on killing her. Remember that?"

"Shit," Jules breathed. "You're right." She looked to the young man on her left. "Stevie, she doesn't know you yet. Would you mind drawing her in?"

"Sure," he nodded. "You'll have to show me a picture of her or something so I'll know what she looks like, though."

Jules grinned. "I can do you one better; I can take you to her in person."

Half an hour later, Jules and Stevie had left the trailer park and were on their way into town. "How is it that you know where she lives?" Stevie asked. "It's not like she told us or anything."

"Yeah," Jules said. "But Mason did. One day when he was in a chatty mood."

"I remember," Stevie agreed. "He would come into the bar and just go on and on about how wonderful she was. You've seen her; was he right?"

"She's all right," Jules said. "And I sense power in her. She'll make a really good asset to the pack." They drove up to the Warren house, parked, and then went inside. "There's no one here," Stevie said as he looked around at the furniture that was covered in cobwebs and dust. "It doesn't look like anyone's lived here for years."

Jules looked around in appreciation. "If it's abandoned, we could afford an upgrade. Should I call Brady and have everyone come over?"

"Sure," Stevie said. "Why not?"

Jules gave a call, and within the hour, all the others had arrived at the Warren house and were getting settled in. "Huh," Jules said as she came back down to the ground floor living room. "No Selina; Mason must have been mistaken about her living here now. She must have once, though." She pulled out a dusty photograph and showed it to Stevie. "Here's a picture of Selina," she said. "When you go into town tomorrow, look for a girl who looks like this."

* * *

The next day, in an attempt to curb Selina's loopy pre-lunar behavior, which was beginning to get on everyone's nerves, Stella sent her to the library with the hope that a few hours with educational books would help her remember she was still an intelligent person. Selina attempted to read, but nothing could keep her attention. At a tap on her shoulder, she looked up and saw a young man looking back at her.

"Hi," she told him.

"Hi," he said. "I noticed you were having trouble with those books. I'm very well read. Can I be of any help?"

"Sure," she said. "You can be a lot of help." She stood up. "I'm bored," she said. "Let's get out of here. Can we go to your house?"

He stared at her. Was it really going to be that easy? He cleared his throat. She was very pretty and it was making him nervous. "Sure," he said. "Come with me." She took his arm and he led her out of the library and helped her into the front seat of his car. Then, they drove back to the Warren house.

"Did you get her?" Jules asked when she opened the front door. She grinned widely at the sight that greeted her. "You certainly did. And a lot quicker than I thought, too."

"It was freakishly simple," Stevie said, leading a serene-looking Selina into the front room. "She came on to me, I said yes, boom. It was that simple. Wait," he gently pushed Selina, who was nuzzling his neck, away from him.

"I think you should take her upstairs," Jules said. "We need something to keep her busy until tonight and it looks like she's chosen you. A few hours later, the front doorbell rang. Jules went to open it and choked on a scream. The person on the other side elbowed past her, and as he went by each mirror, he slammed his fist into it, causing it to crack.

"Where are you going?" Jules called after him.

"Upstairs," he said. "And when you see the results of what I'm going to do, you'll thank me in the morning."

* * *

That night, Selina found herself in her old bedroom. It was strange because she didn't remember coming here at all. She knew she hadn't come on her own. Then, she realized that her hands were tied to the bedposts. And that she was naked. She was able to turn her head enough to see that the moon was nearly up. Suddenly, all the lights in the room went out, and she choked on a scream as the door opened and a bulky figure entered the room. He came to stand next to the bed, silently removing his clothes. Then he climbed into bed, beside her, then on top of her. He'd brought with him a small bag. He opened it and pulled out a large bottle. He took off the cap and began pouring it liberally on her body. Every time she screamed, he would echo her, only his were cries of ecstasy.

"Who are you?" she sobbed. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He reached out and grabbed the small lamp on the night stand and flicked the switch, moving it so she could see his face. She screamed again, this time from terror. She hadn't killed him after all. His face was covered in a network of ugly red and purple scars. "Hello, Selina," Gabe said. He grinned obscenely. "I bet you thought you killed me. Well, let me assure you that it's been delightful proving you wrong." Before she could say a word, he turned his head to look out the window. Then, he began to growl and moan, and she watched in horror as he transformed. Then, as she opened her mouth to scream, he bit her.


	34. Past the Point of No Return

Just after her transformation was when Jules heard the screams. She raced toward them and burst into Selina's room. Making a flying leap and landing on the bed, she managed to throw Gabe off. With a yelp, they rolled around on the floor, biting and scratching and bleeding until Jules managed to get her teeth into Gabe's throat. She bit down hard and with one last howl of pain, he fell. She looked up from his body, blood-flecked drool dripping from her jaws. Then, she leapt back onto the bed. Selina's eyes were open, wide with horror. There was a gaping wound on her neck where she'd been bitten; her body was pale and still. Jules gazed at her for a moment, licked her cheek, jumped off the bed, and dragged Gabe's body away, leaving a trail of blood on the floor in her wake.

* * *

Selina awakened just as the sun was peeping in through the open windows. She looked down at herself and gasped. She was wearing a white nightgown underneath a gauzy white robe. "Where the hell am I?" She whispered to herself. A moment later, the door opened and someone entered the room.

"Hi," she said. "We wondered when you were going to wake up."

"_You_," Selina breathed. "What the hell am I doing here?"

The woman just smiled. "You're recovering, that's what you're doing. We wondered when you were going to wake up." She paused. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Gabe," Selina said. "He attacked me; he raped me. You set him on me, didn't you? You told me in Atlantic City that you were going to kill me."

"That was an exaggeration," Jules said. "But the stuff with Gabe _did_ happen. We didn't have anything to do with it, though. He just showed up elbowed me aside and went upstairs. But he's dead now; I killed him."

"Why didn't you stop him in the first place?" Selina asked. "Mason told me you threw Gabe out of the pack for being too dangerous."

"We did," Jules said. "But somehow, he was still able to locate us. Why would he want to attack you, though?"

"Because I gave him a wolfsbane bath and knocked him over the head when he tried to attack me earlier," Selina said.

"You did?" Jules asked. "You must be pretty tough."

Selina shrugged. "I try." Her stomach grumbled. "You wouldn't happen to know the location of some toast, bacon and eggs would you?" She asked. "I'm a little hungry."

"That doesn't surprise me," Jules said wryly. "It's been four days since you've eaten anything."

"Could I ask you something before you go?" Selina asked her.

"Sure," Jules said. "Anything."

"Do you want to hurt me?"

"No," Jules shook her head. "I mean, we brought you here to recruit you, obviously. But we weren't going to force you."

Selina looked around. "This room looks strangely like the room I stay in when I'm at my parents' house."

Jules smiled. "This _is _the room you stay in when you're at your parents' house. I'll explain more when I come back with your breakfast. What would you like to drink?"

"Orange juice," Selina said. "Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome." Jules left Selina's room and closed the door behind her. As she began walking toward the kitchen, Mason appeared beside her.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"I'm getting Selina her breakfast," Jules said. "She finally woke up this morning."

"Makes sense," Mason nodded. "It took about four days for her to wake up after I bit her."

"And _why_ exactly did you do that?" Jules asked.

"Long story short, I wanted to get her away from her husband," Mason said. "She's much better off without him anyway."

"Isn't he a vampire too?" Jules asked.

"Yep," Mason nodded. "But Selina got me back in the end; she was the one who killed me."

Her hand frozen on the orange juice carton, Jules stopped pouring suddenly, and some of the juice splashed out and slopped onto the counter. "She was the one who killed you?"

"Yeah," Mason nodded. "It was a full moon and her husband had just turned her into a vampire again, so not only was she dealing with her werewolf temperament, she had to deal with being a new vampire too. Eventually, it just got to be too much, I got in the way, and then—" he made a chomping sound, putting his hand on his neck.

"I never would have guessed," Jules said, breaking two eggs into a frying pan and adding milk before turning on the stove top and chasing the mixture around with a spatula until it had formed into perfect scrambled eggs. Then, she got a pack of shredded cheese from the refrigerator and sprinkled it on top. Next, she popped two pieces of toast into the toaster and placed three pieces of bacon which had already been made on the plate next to the eggs. Once the toast popped up, she slathered it with butter, put it on the plate, and took the plate to Selina's bedroom. Mason followed, carrying the orange juice.

"I hope you're hungry," Jules said, proffering the plate. Selina took it, and then accepted the juice from Mason. "I sure am hungry," she said. "Seeing as it's been four days since I've eaten anything." She gulped down the juice without coming up for air, and then attacked the eggs with enthusiasm. After swallowing half of them, she put her fork down. "You don't know how wonderful it is to be in this situation and be with people who actually eat _food_," Selina cried.

"So I guess you figured out you're human again?" Jules asked.

"Of course," Selina nodded. "That's what happens when a vampire with the werewolf gene gets bitten by a werewolf during a full moon. I know it from my uncle Jacob's books and—" here she looked mischievously at Mason "-firsthand experience."

Jules nodded. "He told me that he'd bitten you once before. But I hope that this time around, it's a much better experience."

"Speaking of my current situation," Selina said, looking at Mason, "Why did it happen? Weren't you supposed to be watching Gabe? And where were Mama and Uncle Jacob?"

"Aunt Amelia and Uncle Jacob realized eventually that the pack was no real threat to you, so they decided to leave the operation. And as for me and Gabe, I thought the same thing you did about him; that you killed him when you doused him with wolfsbane and hit him hard on the head. I'm so sorry this happened."

"Thanks," Selina said. "But all the apologies in the world won't change the fact that the worst possible thing in the world has happened to me."

"What do you mean?" Jules asked.

"I can't be human right now," Selina said. "It's tough to explain, but one of the oldest vampires in the world, possibly _the_ oldest vampire in the world, wants to end the vampire curse, and to do that, he needs the blood of a particular human—either mine or my best friend's. And since I was a vampire before, she was the only one eligible. But now that I've been bitten and am human myself, I'm just as eligible as she is."

Mason and Jules looked at one another, then Mason said, "I better go and face the music with Uncle Jacob and everyone else about this. You two have a nice talk."

Once he was gone, Jules leaned forward. "You've got quite a problem on your hands, don't you?" She asked.

"Yep," Selina said. "And I have no idea how to fix it. I mean I could always go home and ask my husband to turn me again, like he did last time. I know he would."

"That's one solution," Jules nodded. "But I might have another."

Selina ate the last bite of eggs and began eating her toast. After swallowing, she said "I think I know what you're going to suggest and my answer is no."

"What was I going to suggest?" Jules asked, her eyes twinkling.

"You were thinking of suggesting that I become a werewolf, weren't you?" Selina asked.

"All right," Jules said. "I was. But come on. Why not?"

"Because I just don't think it would be a good idea," Selina said. "I've seen Tyler transform before, and it looks _painful_."

"Yeah," Jules nodded. "It is. But it's only once a month; does that remind you of anything else you've gone through without having any choice in the matter?"

Selina's eyes widened. "Are you equating turning into a werewolf with having my period?"

"Yeah," Jules nodded. "It's pretty much the same thing."

Selina shook her head rapidly. "No it's not. It's a completely different thing."

"I don't think so," Jules said. "Both cause you horrible pain, mood swings, and turn you into a monster that terrifies men."

Selina burst out laughing. "You have a point. But I still don't know."

"You'd be able to have normal relationships," Jules told her. "And to have children, and since you'd be aging like everyone around you, you'd actually be able to stay in one place and build a life for yourself. If you're completely honest with your mate, there's no reason why your transformations would be a problem either; have him chain you up so you couldn't get loose and watch you like a hawk and you wouldn't kill anyone."

Selina opened her mouth to protest, but she realized that Jules was right. "You know, you're right," she said.

"See?" Jules said. "I think it would be good for you. And being a werewolf, you wouldn't be human either, so that would save you from the sacrifice ordeal. What do you think?"

* * *

"So you're sure she just left here four days ago and she didn't say a word to you about where she was going?" Damon asked Elena. He'd gotten a call from Stella telling him that Selina had disappeared and asking him if he knew where she'd gone.

Elena shook her head. "I don't see why she would; she was mad at me when she left."

"Why would she be mad at you?" Stefan asked.

Elena shrugged. "I don't know."

"I do," Andria said, coming into the living room and gazing hard at Elena. "You told your biological father John Gilbert about Selina having the werewolf gene, didn't you?"

Damon and Stefan's heads turned quickly to Elena. "Did you?" Stefan asked. "Please tell me you didn't."

Elena looked back and forth between them. She knew they were begging her to say no, but she couldn't lie. "I did," she admitted. "I didn't mean to, but I did. And then he called his friend Gabe over here in hopes that he would bite Selina so that she would be as eligible to be sacrificed as me."

Damon stood up. "I'm going to go," he said. "If anyone hears from Selina, give me a call, would you?"

Elena watched him go, and then she turned to Stefan. "You understand that I didn't mean to tell John, right?" She said. "Katherine and Stella are so gung-ho about this 'them versus us' thing that if Selina had similar dirt on me, she would have told it to Stella as soon as she found it out."

Stefan just looked at her, saying nothing, and headed up to his room, leaving Elena alone. When he didn't come back down half an hour later, Elena left the boardinghouse and headed for Doctor Stensrund's, where she intended to have a long talk with John and Isobel.

When she arrived at the house, she entered and to her surprise, things were quiet. That was a bad sign. She began walking around, looking for signs of life, and finally found John, Isobel and Katherine camped out in the attic. "Just so you know," Elena told them as she boosted herself up through the attic door, "I hate all three of you."

"You can never come in and just say 'hello,' can you?" Isobel asked dryly. "What did we do now?"

"Selina hates my guts now because she definitely knows what I did. And then Andria ratted me out to Stefan and Damon and Stefan's really close to breaking up with me. I hope you're all proud of yourselves."

"As a matter of fact, we are." John grabbed a bottle of wine from a small rack in one of the corners of the attic and popped it open. Katherine grabbed glasses. "This is exactly what we wanted to happen when I called Gabe to come over here."

"What do you mean?" Elena felt herself go cold. "Are you telling me that you manipulated me into doing a whole bunch of horrible things so that Stefan would break up with me and Selina's life would be ruined?"

"Of course," Isobel said, taking a sip of wine. "You can do so much better than him."

"Since when was that for you to decide?" Elena asked. "Shouldn't I be able to date a vampire if I choose?"

John and Isobel looked at one another. "I don't think you fully grasp what you're getting into with him," John said, trying to be patient.

"He's right," Isobel agreed. "We know so much more about this than you do. You should be thanking us for saving you from a life of heartache and misery."

"Oh," Elena fumed. "Just because the two of you screwed up your lives, you automatically assume that I'm going to do the same. Is that what's going on here?"

"We never said we screwed up our lives," Isobel said.

"You had me when you were fifteen," Elena pointed out. "Obviously, I wasn't planned for. I was just an inconvenience for you; easy to throw away so you could keep on living your selfish, shallow, egocentric life."

"So you're mad at us," Katherine said. "So Stefan's going to break up with you and Selina hates you. What can you do about it? Being angry at us isn't going to change anything. It's not going to make us feel sorry for you, or take back what's already been done. Stop being a whiney little crybaby and take responsibility for your own actions, because right now, you're acting pretty pathetic."

"Fine," Elena said. "I will. I'll get Stefan back, you'll see. And you might think that I'm the one who's pathetic, but at least I'm capable of having a mutually satisfying relationship with another person, something that all three of you sorely lack."

* * *

"What's going on in there?" Caroline asked as Tyler came down from the attic. "Is Mason still being read the riot act by your uncle Jacob?"

"Yeah," Tyler said. "You know, you're taking living with a house of ghosts very well."

"Well, once you become a vampire, you can pretty much stand anything," Caroline said. "So what's going on with Selina? Do we know?"

"Well apparently, Gabe, you know, the crazy werewolf that was thrown out of Mason's wolf pack for putting their welfare in danger?"

Caroline nodded.

"Apparently, he showed up the night of the full moon, broke into Selina's room (she was staying with the pack at the time), doused her with vervain, raped her and bit her after he turned, so she was killed and came back as a human."

"Didn't that happen right after I turned?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "That was Uncle Mason's doing; Selina was here with us, and that's why you were able to stay at the boardinghouse.

"Is Selina going to be all right?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded.

They left the garage to go inside the house, but were distracted by the honk of a car horn. They paused and looked toward the street, surprised to see a car they'd never seen before come in the direction of the mansion. When it got close enough, they were even _more_ surprised to see a grinning Selina behind the wheel.

"Hi you two," She said as she parked the car in the middle of the driveway. "Not that the two of you would know necessarily, but it's a lovely day to be human, isn't it?"

"You're taking this a lot better than you did last time," Tyler observed. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Nights will probably be difficult for awhile; you don't go through what I did and come away entirely unaffected by it. But since I was ready for being human after the bite this time, that's not trouble for me."

"Have you told Damon and Stefan yet?" Caroline asked, leaning against the door of the red convertible Selina was driving.

"No," Selina shook her head. "But I'll get around to it eventually."

"It might be a good idea to," Caroline told her. "They found out from Elena that she told her uncle John about your having the werewolf gene and that that led to Gabe coming and kidnapping you. Damon isn't speaking to her and she and Stefan are very close to breaking up."

"Really?" Selina asked. "I should probably get to the boardinghouse, then. I wouldn't want Damon and Stefan worrying about me when I've changed species but am otherwise all right." Telling Tyler and Caroline goodbye and promising to come back once she'd had a talk with Damon and Stefan, Selina began the drive back to the boardinghouse.

* * *

To say that Damon was surprised to see Selina standing on the other side of the door when he opened it in response to her knock would be an understatement. "You're all right," he said, picking her up and spinning her around the room. Then he put her down and looked her over. "Something's different," he said. "Is something different?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "I'm human again."

"How is that possible?" He asked.

"It happened during the full moon a few nights ago. The night before, I left here and went to Stella's," Selina explained. "The next day, when I was acting loopy like I do, Stella got so sick of it that she sent me to the library with the hope that reading some good books would remind me that I was an intelligent, accomplished woman and not an airhead. While I was at the library, I happened to run into one of the 'wolves from Mason's old pack. I hit on him and we went back to his place. Actually, it was my parents' house; the werewolves have taken up residence there. I spent the rest of the day with Stevie, that was the guy's name, and then that night, Gabe showed up again."

"Gabe?" Damon broke in. "You mean the werewolf you killed?"

She shrugged. "Apparently, I didn't do as good of a job as I thought and he managed to cling on to life. Anyway, he decided it was payback time, broke into my room, doused me with vervain, raped me and bit me. Four days later, I wake up and I'm human again."

"Gabe _raped _you?" Damon's fists clenched. "I have to go."

"Wait," Selina said. "Before you go, there's one more thing I have to tell you."

"What?" Damon asked through his teeth.

"After I woke up, one of the other werewolves, a woman named Jules and I had a talk. I told her about how being human at this point was extremely inconvenient for me because of Klaus. I told her I could just have you turn me back into a vampire again, but she suggested another option. She thought I should join them instead."

"And what did you say?" Damon asked.

"I was reluctant at first," Selina admitted. "But then she pointed out that if I joined not only would I be safe from Klaus, I would be able to age normally, eat normally, have a normal relationship and not move around every couple of years. Except for turning into a wolf once a month, I'd be able to have a pretty normal life."

"And what did you tell her?" Damon's voice was flat.

"I told her yes," Selina said. "I told her I wanted to become a werewolf."


	35. Another One Bites the Dust

Damon sucked in his breath, placed his hands around Selina's waist and pulled her to him. "Say that again," he told her.

"What?" Selina asked. Her eyes were unfocused.

"The last thing you said, about wanting to be a werewolf," Damon told her. "Say it again."

"When she asked me if I wanted to be a werewolf, I told her I did," Selina said.

"All right," Damon nodded. "I thought so. Have you been drinking?"

Selina shook her head. "No." At that moment, a beer bottle with a loose cap, which had been resting in Selina's purse, fell to the wood floor with a crash. Beer flowed out in a stream at their feet. Selina looked down at it and burst out giggling. "Well, maybe I have just a little," she said.

Disregarding the river of beer on the floor, Damon took Selina's hand and led her to the window. "And that car over there," he pointed at it. "Is it yours?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I took it. But don't worry, I compelled the guy at the car lot; no one's going to come after me."

"I'm proud of you," Damon said. "You're drunk out of your mind, but you still remembered to cover your tracks. That's impressive."

"Thank you," Selina said. "What do you want to do now?"

"Well," Damon picked her up. "I think you should go upstairs and sleep off all those bottles of beer." He began walking toward the stairs, when suddenly she began to struggle. "No!" she cried. "I'm fine. I don't want to sleep!"

"Well you aren't going to have a choice," Damon said. "With all that you've probably consumed, you're probably going to pass out soon anyway." Despite her struggling, he managed to get her upstairs and into her room, setting her down on the bed, closing the blinds and then turning off the lights and shutting the door behind him before heading back downstairs.

"Was that Selina I heard?" Stefan asked, coming into the living room.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "She's in a bad spot. Apparently that Gabe guy she thought she killed wasn't as we would have hoped for. When she was loopy prior to the full moon, the werewolves managed to lure her away and then they got Gabe to bite her for them. He raped her too, apparently."

Stefan dropped the remote. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," Damon said. "I'm afraid I'm not. She's really drunk right now. Apparently she took a car from one of the lots downtown, and even though she's human now, she told me that she "compelled" one of the salesmen to get her the car. What do you think we should do when they show up asking for it?"

"We could probably just drive it back to the lot and then tell them she was ill when she took it," Stefan said. "They saw her; it would probably be plausible."

"All right," Damon nodded. "I'll drive the car back. Would you go and check on Selina for me?"

"Sure," Stefan nodded.

"Be careful," Damon warned. "I bet she's on edge right now. She might warm up to you if you bring her beer, though."

"Don't worry," Stefan said. "I will."

Once Damon was gone, Stefan headed upstairs, taking a bottle of beer with him. He knocked quietly on Selina's door. Hearing no response, he slowly opened it and stepped inside, advancing toward her bed. When he was just in front of it, he felt a sharp pain on his head and pitched forward, landing on the floor. Then, the lights came on. He rolled over to see the blurry form of Selina standing over him. Wincing, he sat up slowly and got a good look at her.

Her eyes were wide and glassy, her skin pale, her hair limp. She was staring at him and clutching an umbrella tightly in her left hand. As Stefan advanced toward her, her whole body began to shake, and little whimpers escaped from her lips. Finally, just as he reached her, she turned around, threw herself down on her bed and began to sob.

Don't touch me!" She screamed. "Go away. Just go away!"

"Do you want this before I go?" He asked her. Slowly, she rolled over and eyed what he held. Then, she reached out her hand and snatched it away, opening it quickly and gulping down half before coming up for air. "You're going to be all right," he said. "We'll get you help, don't you worry."

"How'd things go over here?" Damon asked when he got back.

"You were right about her being on edge," Stefan said. "When I went to check up on her after you left, she clobbered me with an umbrella and then starting crying really, really hard and yelling for me to go away."

"Did you remember to turn the lights on before you came in her room?" Damon asked.

"No," Stefan admitted. "That's what probably did it."

"What do we do now?" Damon asked. "We have Selina, human and traumatized with no idea how to make it better. And do you know what she said when she first showed up?"

"What?" Stefan asked.

"She said that one of the other werewolves in the pack tried to convince her to become one herself, and apparently, it worked pretty well because Selina told me she was thinking about it. Can you believe that?"

"She probably just said that because she was drunk," Stefan said. "I bet she didn't really mean it."

"Well what if she _did _mean it?" Damon said.

"Easy," Stefan said. "Ask her about it after she's sobered up. If she means it, take her to see her parents; Amelia and Matthew will straighten her out."

"Oh, Selina's back?" Andria came into the room. "How is she? Is she all right?"

"Well how were you after your experience with the magician? Can you remember?" Damon asked dryly.

"I wasn't well," Andria said. "Not for awhile, anyway. Barely anyone could get a sensible word out of me. Maybe I could talk to her."

"All right," Damon said. "You could try. Just remember to turn her light on before you enter her room, otherwise, she'll beat you over the head with an umbrella."

Andria nodded and headed upstairs, remembering to turn on the light before she went inside. "Hi," she said as she stared at Selina. Something was definitely wrong. Her eyes were glassy and unblinking as they followed Andria around the room. "Do you know who I am?"

"Andria," Selina's voice was quiet. "Don't let them hurt me. I've already been hurt so much."

"You _do _know me," Andria said. "That's something. Would you like me to take you away from here?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "Please take me away." When Andria took her hand, she was shocked to feel the tremors going through Selina's body. She put her arms around her and squeezed. "Everything's going to be all right, I promise."

"Where are we going to go?" Selina asked.

Andria took her hand and led her downstairs. "I'm going to take Selina out," she told Stefan and Damon. "And I promise to bring her back when she's better."

"Where are you going to take her?" Damon asked.

"I don't know yet," Andria said. "But I promise it will be somewhere safe."

"Whatever you do, don't take her to her mother's," Damon called. "I don't need that grief right now."

"You don't have to worry about that," Andria said. "I don't even know where her mother is right now."

"Probably at my cousin's house," Selina said. "I don't want to see them yet. Let's not go there."

"All right," Andria led Selina out to her car. She put Selina in the passenger's seat and took the wheel. After a moment of thought, the perfect hiding place occurred to her.

* * *

"Oh, my God!" Elena gasped when she opened the door. "What's happened?"

"Oh," Andria said lightly, "you don't know? That surprises me. It's your handiwork after all."

"What do you mean?" Elena asked as Andria stepped inside gently pulling a resisting Selina along with her.

"You told your father about Selina's werewolf gene," Andria said. "He called Gabe. Gabe survives Selina's wolfsbane bath and ends up biting her during the full moon while he's in wolf form."

"You forgot that he raped me and gave me a vervain bath too," Selina said.

Elena gasped. "You aren't serious, are you?"

"Yeah," Selina said. "And it's all your fault." She looked at Andria. "I don't want to stay with her; I hate her."

"Well too bad," Andria said. "I have some stuff to do and you are going to stay put until I come back and get you."

"Fine," Selina huffed.

Once Andria shut the door behind her, Selina glared at Elena. "You don't know when to keep your big mouth shut, do you?" She asked. "First you tell John about my Damon amnesia, and then you tell him about my werewolf gene. I'm human now. Is that why you did it? Because like your protectors you wanted me to be just as eligible as you?"

"No," Elena said. "It was an accident; I swear I didn't mean to. Besides, I lost way more than I gained by telling John about you. It did me absolutely no good. I hurt someone I care about very much, and my boyfriend's all but broken up with me. Do you think I did it on purpose with those results?"

"Don't ask me to explain how you think," Selina shook her head. "I wish I could kill you; I really do."

"But then you'd have to be the sacrifice," Elena said. "That's why you wouldn't do it, right?"

"Actually," Selina said, "it would be good for both of us. If I killed you, you wouldn't have to worry about being sacrificed by Klaus because you'd be dead, and it would help _me _because your death would make me become a werewolf at the next full moon, thus rendering me also ineligible for sacrifice."

"But the next full moon is a month away," Elena pointed out. "Klaus could show up before then and he'd have to go with you because you'd be all that's left."

"That's why I said I _wish_ I could kill you," Selina said through her teeth. "Because right now, it wouldn't do me any good!"

"Hi," Jenna said as she and Alaric entered the room. "Sophia, I didn't hear you come in."

Selina turned and Alaric's eyes widened. "Jenna," he said, "Would you mind picking something up at the store for me? I've run out of toilet paper and I need some before tonight."

"It can't be that bad of an emergency," Jenna laughed. "Can't it wait?"

"No," Alaric shook his head. "I need it now, please. And go to Big Mart; they have the widest selection."

"Big Mart?" Jenna said. "But they're all the way on the other side of town!"

"Please, Jenna?" Elena said. "Toilet paper is very important."

Jenna looked from Alaric to Elena and back again. "I have a feeling there's something I don't know," Jenna said. "But since the two of you think toilet paper is so important, I'll go and get it."

"At Big Mart," Alaric called after her. "Don't forget that!" He closed the door behind Jenna and looked at Selina. "What's happened to her?" He asked.

"If you must know," Selina said stiffly, "Elena stabbed me in the back, which got me taken in by a bunch of werewolves and raped and bitten by one that I thought was dead. That's why I'm human now."

"You're human now?" Alaric asked. "I had no idea that could happen."

"Usually it can't," Elena said. "But when a vampire with the werewolf gene is bitten by a transformed werewolf during the full moon, instead of killing them, it just turns them human."

"Something you know well enough to go blabbing to everyone in earshot," Selina said. She looked at Alaric. "You wouldn't happen to know where the beer is kept around here, would you?" She asked.

Alaric pointed at the garage. A few moments later, she returned with a bottle in each hand.

"Thanks for the help," she said, taking a swig from one of the bottles.

"You do realize now that you're human, having too many of those could kill you if you have them all at once?" Alaric asked.

"Know but don't care," Selina said. "It keeps me from having to think."

"You want to tell me what happened?" Elena asked.

"Would it fill you with guilt, shame and misery?" Selina replied.

"Yes," Elena said. "Yes it would."

Selina cleared her throat. "After I left the boardinghouse, I headed over to Stella's. Everyone there told me they were going to keep an eye on me until after the full moon had passed so we didn't end up with another Christian Blake incident on our hands. But during the day, Stella got so sick of my pre-lunar loopiness that she sent me to the library, hoping that reading books would remind me how intelligent I was, and get me out of my funk."

"Wait just a minute," Elena said. "Stella ordered you out of her sight on the day of a full moon and, in spite of knowing how vulnerable you were, you left?"

"Yeah," Selina said. "So what if I did?"

"Well that means that this fiasco was not entirely my fault," Elena said.

"It's _mostly _your fault," Selina said. "You blabbed stuff about me to John and Katherine and what you blabbed got the werewolves interested in me and Gabe on my trail."

"True," Elena said. "But the only reason the stuff with Gabe happened was because you left the hideout. You didn't have to, you know; you could have stayed inside and remained nice, cozy and a vampire."

"Anyway," Selina continued, "at the library I met one of the werewolves. His name was Stevie. I went home with him, and that night, apparently Gabe showed up at my parents' house and even though the others tried to stop him, he reached me anyway."

"Why were the werewolves at your parents' house?" Elena asked.

"Apparently, my parents decided to hang out at Tyler's with all my other living-impaired relations, so the place was available," Selina said. "Anyway, Gabe was all scarred and stuff from the wolfsbane I poured all over him. Then, he dumped vervain all over me, and every pour just worked him up more, if you get my drift."

"Oh, God," Elena said. "I'm never going to be able to make this up to you, am I?"

"Not really," Selina said. "But at least Andria's making a good start."

* * *

"What's going on?" Rose asked when she opened the door and Damon strode in. "Where's Stella?" he demanded. "She has some serious explaining to do about why she let Selina out of her sight on the day of a full moon."

"Did something happen?" Rose asked.

"You bet something happened," Damon said. "Some werewolves lured her to their hideout and got a particularly dangerous one to hurt her, rape her and bite her. And if that's not bad enough, they brainwashed her too. The bite turned her human and now they convinced her she should become a werewolf!"

"Did she _tell _you she wanted to become a werewolf?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "Granted she was drunk at the time, but I wonder what she's going to say when she's sober."

"Are you worried she's going to say the same thing?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "And then what am I going to do?"

"That's the question, isn't it?" Rose asked. "You want her to stay with you and be a vampire because you love her—"

"But if I love her, shouldn't I just let her be happy and live her life the way she wants?" Damon asked. "I mean, if she becomes a werewolf, except for the one night of the full moon, she'll be human the rest of the time. She'll be able to build a normal life for herself. Have children. If I took that chance away from her by turning her again, that would make me a selfish bastard, wouldn't it? I'm in a hell of a bind, Rose Marie."

"I wouldn't be so pessimistic yet," Rose said. "You're automatically assuming that she's not going to want to be with you. What if she _does_ still want to be with you after she becomes a werewolf?"

"You mean _if_ she becomes a werewolf," Damon corrected.

"The 'if' was implied," Rose said. "Like you told me, she was drunk when she made the first pronouncement, so it could just be a bunch of nonsense. But I'd prepare yourself for anything if I were you."

"I wish I could just know where she stands now," Damon said. "But ever since she got raped, she's afraid to go near men. Or have men be near her. She hit Stefan over the head with an umbrella when he came into her room today."

"Where is she now?" Rose asked.

"She's with Andria," Damon said. "I don't know exactly where; she just said they were going out." He paused at the sound of someone clearing their throat. He turned and saw Stella standing with her hand on the doorframe. "I couldn't help but overhear," she said. "Selina's human now? Werewolves somehow got hold of her?"

"You seem surprised that happened," Damon said. "Even though you sent her out unguarded on the day of a full moon."

"It was daytime," Stella said. "I thought she only got loopy during the night."

"Didn't you notice she was acting uncharacteristically before you sent her off?" Damon asked.

"Of course," Stella said. "Why do you think I did it? She was acting like a complete simpleton and I wanted it to stop."

"That's part of the whole thing that Selina goes through," Damon said. "The daytime period is when she needs to be watched the closest because her inhibitions lower and she can't make a good decision to save her life!"

"How was I supposed to know that?" Stella snapped.

"Some great protector you are," Damon said. "Now she's just as eligible to be sacrificed as Elena is and scared of men to boot. I hope you're proud of yourself."

"I remember Selina telling me at one point that it was Katherine who brought the werewolves into the picture," Stella said. "I could always wreak vengeance on her for you."

"Fine, sure," Damon said. "Do whatever you want. It's not going to do me any good."

Stella nodded and left, heading into the library and shutting her eyes. Finally, she was able to focus properly and locate Katherine. Then, she grabbed her keys and left the hideout.

* * *

"It seems like nothing can go wrong now," John said as he, Isobel and Katherine finished off the wine. "Selina is what she needs to be, and her protectors are as inept as ever. I would say we've been successful, wouldn't you?"

"I agree," Isobel said.

Just then, a strange cry echoed through the night. "Did you two hear that?" Isobel asked. "What do you think it was?"

"Probably just a wild animal," John said. "Nothing to be worried about."

"I wasn't worried about it," Isobel snapped. "It's not like it can kill me or anything. I just don't hear animal growls in the night, usually."

"I wonder what kind of animal it was," Katherine said, standing up. "I'm going go and see. Maybe it's still out there." She left the attic and walked to the stairway that led to the lower floors, but just as she reached out to grab the railing, thunder and lightning crashed, illuminating everything ahead of her. She looked at the windows and saw them soaking with rain. Quickly, she headed down the stairs and out onto the front porch. She saw something moving in the darkness. When it stepped into the light, she gasped. It was a black panther with odd, jewel blue eyes. "Stella," Katherine whispered.

As if to answer her, the panther began to stride toward her. She ran down the stairs and headed for the woods, but the panther was close on her heels. Even though her skirts were soaked and running was difficult, she had to keep moving. If she stopped for a second, the beast would catch up to her. She reached a break in the woods, which gave her a choice of route. She took her time to decide, seconds which cost her dearly. Suddenly, the panther appeared and leapt toward her, pinning her to the ground. Once she was unable to move, Stella regained her human form.

"Hello Katerina Petrova," she said. "I'm certain you aren't as happy to see me as I am to see you."

Katherine coughed and sputtered. "What do you want?" She asked. "Why are you doing this to me, Stella?"

"That should be obvious to you," Stella said. "You betrayed me five hundred years ago, used my daughter to save your own pathetic life, and then subjected my children's descendants to your horrible whims. There is no way to make up for any of it except for your own death."

"But we were friends once," Katherine said. "Don't you remember that?"

Stella snarled and punched Katherine in the face, causing blood to spurt from her nostrils. "About as well as you remembered it when you allowed my grandmother to kidnap me and then stole and transformed my husband and corrupted and turned my brother-in-law." At that moment, thunder boomed and lightning flashed, illuminating Stella's face, her expression of hatred very, very obvious. "Enough of this," she snapped, grabbing a tree branch that was near her. She held it over Katherine's rapidly struggling body. "Goodbye, Katerina Petrova." And with an expression of ecstasy, she plunged the branch into Katherine's heart.

Afterward, she dragged the body out to the edge of the woods near the house. She didn't bother taking the branch out; she hoped it would scare whoever found Katherine's body.

Then she went inside, preparing to do damage to the other two. But it seemed like she was too late. They were already dying. The bodies were run through two wooden poles, which were situated in the middle of the living room. Blood was running down the poles and their screams echoed in Stella's ears. But who would want them to die so slowly?

At a sound in the doorway, she turned and gasped. "Andria," she breathed.

"Yes," her daughter said. "You want to know who did this? I did. They won't be a real loss to the world, will they?"


	36. The Wanderer

"No. No they won't." Stella stared at Andria, stunned by what she'd done. She was her father's daughter all right.

"Why'd _you_ come?" Andria asked.

"To finish off the rest of Elena's team," Stella said. "And even if she hadn't been plotting against Selina, I would have gone after her anyway. I've waited long enough."

"Gone after whom?" Andria asked.

"Katerina," Stella said. "I left her at the edge of the woods. Do you want to see?"

"You did _what_?" Andria asked, pulling back a little.

Stella frowned. "Don't tell me you feel sorry for her. How can you feel sorry for someone you don't even know? She's the reason why you grew up without parents!"

"As a matter of fact," said Andria, following her mother out the door, "I _did_ know her. For a little while anyway. How do you think I got turned? Because of her. Because when she saw me dying of consumption after I gave birth to your granddaughter, she felt regret for what she did to you."

Stella scoffed. "Is that what she told you? They're lies, all of them. The only person Katerina Petrova ever cared about was herself. I did you and everyone else a favor by ending her miserable existence."

They stopped in front of Katherine's body and Andria gasped. "You did it," she said. "You really did it."

"Wow," Stella said. "You just finished off two people in the style of Prince Vlad and you're shocked at what _I _did?"

"Yes I am," Andria nodded.

Stella noticed the glint at Katherine's throat and leaned forward, removing the necklace. "She won't be needing this anymore; I think I'll just take it back."

"Oh, my God," Andria said. "Isn't it enough to kill her? You have to take things from her body, too?"

Stella frowned. "This was your grandmother's," she said. "Your father gave it to me when we got engaged. In fact, it's the whole reason why I came back here in the first place. She was the one who took it from _me_."

"Somehow I doubt that," Andria said.

"Fine," Stella told her; we'll go back to the hideout, and you can ask your father; then you'll see who's telling the truth."

"We can't go back to the hideout right away," Andria said. "I left Selina with Elena before I came here. I promised I would go back for her when I finished up what I had to do."

"Good _job,_" Stella said. "With Selina in the mood she's in, she's probably killed Elena by now. You know what that means don't you? What possessed you to put the two of them in the same space?"

Andria sucked in her breath. "At least I'm not the one who let Selina out during the day of a full moon," she said. "Didn't you pay attention to the Christian Blake trial that was in the paper, Mama? His death was Selina's doing, and that was during the full moon before last."

"It was?" Stella asked.

"Yep," Andria nodded. "It was. Now are we going to get Selina or not?"

"Of course," Stella said. "There's no reason for her to be there anymore."

They got in their cars and headed back to the Gilbert house. "Hi," Selina said when she opened the door. "Did you get done what you needed to?"

"Yeah," Andria said. "And I found a friend too."

"Stella?" Selina's eyes widened. "What were _you_ doing there?"

"Just taking care of some unfinished business," Stella said. "It feels so good to have it out of the way."

Then, Selina's eyes caught sight of the necklace. "Why'd you take that back?" She asked. "If you have it, we can't spy on Katherine anymore."

"We don't _need _to spy on Katherine anymore," Stella said. "It's hard to commit acts of evil when you're dead."

Elena turned. "Katherine's dead?"

"Yes," Stella nodded. "In a manner of speaking, of course. And Andria took care of the other two, so I'd be watching your back."

Without another word, Elena pushed past Selina, Stella and Andria, raced out of the house, got in her car, and drove to Doctor Stensrund's to survey the damage.

* * *

She found Katherine's body first. That was definitely the worst shock. It was like seeing herself lying dead, with a tree branch protruding from her middle. Elena swallowed, and after steeling herself, she went inside. But inside, it was a nightmare; Isobel and John had both been run through by wooden poles. Isobel had died immediately, but John was still twitching, just barely alive. The floor was covered in their blood and she slipped on some as she made her way back to the front door. Once she was outside, her phone rang. She flipped it open and turned it on. "Hello?"

"Hi," said the voice on the other end. "Would you happen to know where John went? I've been trying to call him for an hour, but he hasn't been picking up."

"Hi, Jenna," Elena said. "I _do_ happen to know where John is. And I also happen to know why he hasn't been answering his phone. If Alaric is with you, tell him to come over to Doctor Stensrund's right away; there's something there he needs to see. And no, you shouldn't come yourself. About John's whereabouts, I'll be blunt. He's dead and he died slowly and painfully."

"Jenna said you wanted me to come over here," Alaric said when he arrived a little while later. "Has something happened?"

"Yes," Elena said. "It's about Isobel. Come inside." She led him to the living room, and when he got a look at Isobel's body, he nearly broke down.

"Who would do this?" He asked after he managed to steady himself. "Not that she was the sweetest woman in the world. I mean, I certainly didn't enjoy being lied to and abandoned, but no one deserves to have things end this way."

"It has to do with the doppelganger war," Elena said. "If I haven't told you, the oldest vampire in the history of time is after both me and Selina. He needs the blood of one of us to end the vampire curse, and none of our relations wanted us to be sacrificed, so we split up and our protectors kind of turned Selina and me against each other. My protectors were after her and hers, and her protectors were after me and mine. John and Isobel summoned a werewolf named Gabe Hardy to hurt Selina and bite her at the last full moon so that she would become human, and two of Selina's protectors, Stella and Andria, retaliated by killing Isobel, John and Katherine."

Alaric nodded and turned away from Isobel to face Elena. "So what happens now?"

Elena shrugged. "I don't know."

* * *

"So Katherine's dead now?" Selina asked on the way back to the hideout.

"Yes," Stella nodded. "As a doornail."

"Shoot," Selina said. "I wish you would have waited; I would have loved to put in a few licks myself."

"Didn't you get to throw up on her before Mama let her go?" Andria asked. "Isn't that good enough?"

Selina shrugged. "It's better than nothing, I guess. Could you drop me off at the boardinghouse instead of the hideout? I have some things I need to discuss with Junior now that I'm sober."

"Of course," Andria said, making the turn. When they arrived at the boarding house, Stella let Selina out of the car, but not before asking if she was planning on coming back to the hideout later.

"Why would I need to come back to the hideout?" Selina asked. "Since everyone who was a threat to me is dead? At least the threats you can protect me from, that is."

"We're working on Klaus," Stella said. "You'll have to trust me on that one."

Selina rolled her eyes. "I think I'll take my chances with Klaus," she said. "If you can't even protect me from werewolves, what good are you, really?" Then, she turned on her heel and headed inside.

"Damon wants to talk to you," Stefan said, looking up as she entered.

"I figured as much," Selina told him. "Where _is _he?"

"In his room," Stefan said. "He locked himself in this morning and hasn't come out all day."

"Sounds serious," Selina said, and then headed up the stairs. She knocked twice on his bedroom door and then entered. "You want to talk?" Selina asked Damon. He was standing near the window. At the sound of her voice, he turned. "Yeah, I want to talk," he said.

"I know what about," Selina said.

Damon sat down next to her. "First, tell me if you were serious, or if it was just drunken babbling."

"No," Selina said. "It wasn't drunken babbling. I meant it. Are you mad?"

"Just tell me why," Damon said.

"Because if I turn, I'll be human most of the year," Selina told him. "Tell me honestly; if someone gave _you _a chance to be human again, you'd take it, right? Even if I couldn't come with you?"

"Of course I wouldn't take it," Damon said. "It wouldn't mean anything if you weren't there."

Selina frowned. "Thank you so much for that backhanded compliment; what are you trying to say? Do you think I'm being selfish?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Damon told her. "I can't believe you're willing to give up everything you waited more than a hundred years for just so you can become a monster once a month."

Selina scoffed. "Once a month is better than every day," she said. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now; I have packing to do."

"Packing?" Damon asked. "What the hell do you need to pack for?"

"I'm going to be living with the wolf pack now," Selina said. "Obviously, I'll need clothes, won't I?"

"What do you think your parents would say about this decision of yours?" Damon asked.

"Frankly I don't care," Selina said. "They're dead. What they think doesn't matter."

"I _could_ turn you, you know," Damon said.

Selina turned. "But you wouldn't would you?" She asked.

"No," Damon said. "Although I'm unhappy with your decision, I'm going to let you make the biggest mistake of your life because I believe that if you love someone, you should be unselfish enough to give them whatever they want." He then took her by the arm and wheeled her around so that she was looking him in the eye. "Since it's what you seem to want," he said, "I don't want to stand in your way, and that's why I'm going to set you free; I'm going to make you forget everything you and I ever experienced. But just know this: I love you, even though that apparently isn't enough, I do. And I can't be selfish with you. That's why I'm going to let you go."

She blinked and stepped back nodding. After she left and began packing. Damon left the house and drove to the hideout to have a chat with someone who'd once been in much the same position as he was now.

* * *

"Hi, Junior," Stella said when she opened the door. "I'm a little surprised to see you, to be honest. I thought you were Selina at first. But she's completely lost her mind, so I shouldn't be surprised that she isn't here."

"It's good that I'm not the only one who's noticed that," Damon said. "And to that end, could I have a talk with you and your husband?"

"Of course," Stella said. "What about?"

"It's about the night you were turned," he said. "I have questions."

They found Stella's husband in the library. "Junior wants to talk," Stella said. "Apparently we're not the only ones who've noticed that Selina's lost her mind."

"What's happened?" Stella's husband asked.

"Well," Damon told him, "now Selina's gotten it into her head to join a pack of werewolves and become one herself."

"Why would she want that?" Stella asked.

"Because it's a solution that will allow her to be human most of the time, but still keep her from being sacrificed to Klaus," Damon said. "Using that reasoning, I completely understand, but there are some other parts of her plan that I have issues with."

"You mean the 'leaving you forever' part of the plan?" Stella's husband said knowingly.

"Yeah," Damon said. "What can I do to make her realize that what she's doing is dumb and that staying with me is better? I mean, you obviously told Stella something good if you got her to go from concerned mother who wanted to die to ready and willing vampire."

"If you want the truth, he guilted me into turning," Stella said.

"See, now that's exactly what I _don't _want to do with Selina," Damon said. "Lest we end up constantly fighting like the two of you."

"We don't fight at all," Stella said. "We spar intellectually. It's very healthy."

"So you're saying you want Selina to be a werewolf?" Stella's husband asked.

"No," Damon shook his head. "I definitely don't. But how can I stop her from doing it without making both of us miserable?"

"If you ask me," Stella's husband said, "you should start at the heart of the problem; the werewolf pack themselves. If it weren't for them, Selina wouldn't have wanted to turn in the first place."

"You're right," Damon said. "I should give them a piece of my mind. And once they're dead, I can take Selina to her mother's and her family will talk some sense into her. This could work out nicely."

"Glad we could help," Stella's husband said. "And good luck."

"Thanks," Damon said, and then sprinted out the door of the hideout.

* * *

Selina had delayed coming back to her parents' house for quite a while. It was getting dark by the time she parked in the driveway and went up the front steps. When she opened the front door, all the lights were off, and everything was silent. Cautiously, she stepped inside and turned on the first light. "Jules?" She called. "Brady? Anybody home?" With a sinking feeling, she began walking through the mansion, finding no one until she reached the music room. Then, she found Brady's body, sprawled out in one of the big, overstuffed chairs that had been moved in front of the piano as if he were about to start playing a piece. His throat and shirt were covered with dried blood. Some was even splattered on the piano keys.

Backing away, she continued through the house, finding more bodies. Jules was in the library, her head down on a desk as though she were tired, her eyes staring blankly at the bookshelf across the room. The ballroom was just littered with bodies, some bent at grotesque angles, most of them horribly mutilated. Then, she went upstairs. Finally hearing some noise, she opened the door to one of the bedrooms and a sight even more horrible than the carnage downstairs met her eyes. Stevie was on his bed, fighting for his life with a young man who was holding him down and _eating him_. At the sound of her footsteps, he let Stevie go. Stevie flopped back against the pillows, his body still and the same color of the sheets and pillows. Then, the young man turned to face her. His mouth was smeared with blood. When he saw her, his eyes widened in shock. She stared for a moment, frozen, then let out a bloodcurdling shriek and took off for the front door of the house and a way out of this nightmare.

He followed soon after, not two steps behind, swearing and desperately calling out a name: hers. Why he knew her name, she didn't know because she'd never seen him before. If she had, she certainly would have remembered. He would have been handsome if he wasn't a raving lunatic. Finally, breathing so hard that she thought her lungs would burst, she reached the front door, pulled it open, and practically threw herself out, landing on a wooden deck. Once she hit the ground, she turned. He was practically upon her. She stood up and kept running. So desperate was she to get away from the madman that she didn't notice the stairway. She just kept running. She missed the first stair and pitched head over heels down the rest, her body thumping loudly as it hit each step, landing at the bottom in a crumpled heap.

* * *

Damon watched in horror as Selina's body hit the bottom of the stairway. He hadn't meant for her to see any of this. It was his fault. Hoping that she wasn't dead, he hurried down the stairs. Kneeling in front of her body, he breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed her chest still rising and falling slightly, although her eyes were closed. Gently, he picked her up and carried her into the yard, placing her body in the grass. Then, he went over to the birdbath wetting his fingers, washed the blood off his face. Then, he heard her moan. Hurrying over to her side, he felt his whole body lighten as her eyes fluttered.

"What happened?" she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"You fell," he said. He helped her sit up. "What hurts?" He asked.

"Everything," she said. Then, she fell forward, her head landing neatly on his shoulder, her eyes closing. She'd passed out. He picked her up and took her to his car, driving to the place where she would be safest.

"What the hell happened?" Caroline asked when she opened the door. "Is Selina going to be all right? She's not dead, is she?"

"No," Damon shook his head as he stepped inside, placing her on the living room couch. "Just passed out. She caught me feeding and it freaked her out, so she ran from me, fell down a flight of stairs and hit awfully hard when she reached the bottom."

"Oh, dear," Caroline said.

"What's going on?" Tyler asked as he came into the room, his eyes widening. "Selina, oh my God! What's happened to her?"

"She saw Damon feeding and had a bad reaction to it, which led to her falling down a flight of stairs," Caroline said.

"If that's all, why can't you take her to the boardinghouse?" Tyler asked. "You and Stefan could watch her, couldn't you?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Caroline said. "If this is what comes of Selina seeing a vampire, then being around two would probably kill her."

"But you're a vampire," Tyler pointed out to her. "Wouldn't she be just as freaked out by you?"

"Not necessarily," Caroline said. "She hasn't actually seen me feed."

"Look," Damon said, "the reason why I'm leaving her here with you is because I can't be here in Mystic Falls as long as she is; she told me that she wanted to live a normal life, which is something I think she should have. But I don't trust myself to stay away, unless I'm completely away. Will you watch her for me?"

"Of course," Caroline said. "You're leaving her in good hands."


	37. Down Once More

"Thanks." Damon nodded one last time and was on his way toward the door when Amelia and Matthew suddenly appeared in the living room. "Where are _you_ going?" Amelia asked him.

"And what happened to Selina?" Matthew added, standing over his daughter who had her head in Caroline's lap and a dazed expression on her face.

"I'm going to head out," Damon told Amelia. "Your daughter told me she wanted to have a normal life, and I think I should give it to her."

Amelia shook her head. "You want to give her a normal life and you're _leaving her_?" She put a hand on Damon's shoulder. "Except for you, Stefan and your father, she would have no idea what a normal life is. God knows I wasn't any help what with my depression, several attempts at suicide and my marriage made in hell with Robert Pierce. Do you realize all that you are to her? What you're trying to do is noble, but I really think you being gone would hurt her more than help her."

"Are you sure?" Damon asked.

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "And if you don't stay on your own, you know what I'm going to have to do, don't you?"

Damon smiled a little, just one corner of his mouth up. "What?"

"I'm going to have to call your mother," Amelia said. "You know better than anyone that _she'd_ convince you to stay."

At the sound of a whimper, Amelia broke off and the two of them turned toward the couch. "Mama?" Selina said weakly. "Is that you?"

"Yes," Amelia motioned for Damon to follow her over to the couch. "And look who I brought with me. Do you know who this is?"

Caroline helped Selina sit up. Selina gazed at Damon for a moment before shaking her head. "I don't, I'm sorry. _Should _I know him?"

"Of course!" Amelia cried. "He's your _husband_, for heaven's sake! How could you not know him?"

"Amelia," Matthew said warningly. "Calm down. She _did_ fall down the stairs. This could be the result of a knock on the head."

Amelia eyed her daughter skeptically. "No, I don't think so. Even a knock on the head couldn't make a woman forget her husband." She looked at Damon. "When she fell down the stairs, how hard did she hit?"

"Pretty hard," Damon admitted.

"And what was it that made her run from you?" Matthew asked.

"She found me feeding," Damon said. "And I guess it freaked her out a little. But that's puzzling because when I compelled her to forget me, I didn't compel her to forget vampires completely. She's seen vampires feed before; it shouldn't have been a shock."

"Maybe she thought you were going to feed on her next," Caroline said. "And if your mouth was covered in blood, that would shock anyone who wasn't prepared for it."

"What would possess you to compel her to forget you?" Matthew asked. "Did you want to make the separation easier on her?"

"No," Damon said. "I actually wanted to make the separation easier on _me_. I figured that if she didn't know who I was or any idea of our history, it would be easier for me to stay away."

Amelia sighed. "Come now; do you honestly believe that there's _anything_ in the world that would stop you thinking about each other forever?"

Damon shook his head. "I guess not; I mean, the years I thought I was in love with Katherine were close, but I still thought about Selina all the time because I was mad at her for cheating on me."

"And why were you mad at her for supposedly cheating on you?" Amelia prompted, smoothing out the wrinkles in her navy blue gown. "Because you loved her so much that the thought of a betrayal was a knife in your heart?"

Tyler cleared his throat. "Wow, Aunt Amelia. You're just a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

Amelia sighed. "I sound harsh; I realize that. But it needs to be made clear where everybody stands so this ridiculous idea doesn't come to fruition."

"Which ridiculous idea?" Caroline asked. "Damon leaving or Selina becoming a werewolf?"

"Both of them," Amelia said.

"I took care of the first one," Damon said. "The werewolf pack had taken up residence at your old house," he told Amelia. "Now they're all dead. If she turned, she'd have no one to show her the ins and outs. At least no one who actually _wants _her to become a werewolf."

Amelia's eyes lit up. "Wonderful!" She cried. "Now, are you planning on leaving?"

Matthew looked over at Damon. "I would just say no if I was you. Fighting her at this point is futile."

Damon came and after nudging Caroline to scoot over, held Selina up. "No," he said at last. "I don't think I'll leave."

"Good," Amelia said.

"What's going on?" Selina asked.

"Your husband's not leaving you after all!" Amelia cried. "Isn't that great, Selina?"

"Aunt Amelia, are you in denial about the fact that Selina has no idea who Damon is because he compelled her to forget about him?" Tyler asked.

"No," Amelia said. "Yes, actually." She looked at her daughter. "Do you honestly have no idea who this is?" She asked, nodding at Damon.

Selina shrugged. "Aside from the fact that he killed some good friends of mine, I have no idea."

"They weren't your friends," Amelia said stiffly. "They were bad…people who were out to destroy your life."

"That seems a bit harsh, Mama." Selina said. "They weren't out to destroy my life; they were going to give me the opportunity to be normal."

"Do you even know what normal is?" Amelia asked her. "Think about your life and tell me in what possible way the life you lived would be considered normal."

Selina thought a moment. "I don't know," she said finally. "I mean, I grew up without a father, you were gone most of the time, I didn't have any siblings, not a lot of real friends…" she paused. "Wow, I don't know what normal is, do I?"

Matthew put a hand on her shoulder. "You _did _have normalcy in your life, you just don't remember it."

"Well if you're right, how do I make it come back?" Selina asked.

"Come home with me," Damon said. "It should all come back eventually."

Selina looked at Amelia. "Should I go with him?"

"Yes!" Amelia and Matthew said at the same time.

"All right," Selina stood up slowly. "Wow," she said, breathing in sharply and putting a hand on her head. "Could I have some pills for this headache?"

"Sure," Tyler said. "I'll go get them for you." He left the room and returned a few minutes later with a glass of water in one hand and a couple of white tablets in the other. Selina took them from him and gulped them down along with the water. "Thanks," she told him.

"Are you ready to go?" Damon asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." She followed him out to his car and sat in the passenger seat while he took the wheel. Before he started the car, he looked at her. "I know this must seem weird, but I promise you, we _are_ married." He held up her right hand. "See the ring? I gave you that."

Selina looked at it for a moment, gazing at it from every angle, then looked over at him as he started the car. "When we married," she asked, "was it planned, or was it just one of those things where people go to Vegas, get hammered and wake up the next morning, married to one another with no memory of the actual event?"

Damon couldn't help but laugh at that. "We _did_ get married in Vegas," he said. "But it was planned; we had witnesses and everything. You can even ask them about it when we get to the house."

"Good," Selina nodded. "It'll be good to get some answers, I think."

"I can't believe you just left with me," Damon said. "I would have thought you'd resist a little."

Selina shrugged. "My parents told me you were okay, and if you can't trust your parents, who _can_ you trust?"

Damon thought a moment. "I never really trusted my father; we were always on separate sides of every issue so all that left me was my brother and you, basically."

Selina blinked, taken aback. "_I'm_ one of the people you trust the most?"

Damon nodded. "Probably my most trusted person. I've always been able to tell you anything."

"You have?" Selina said. "If I was so important to you, then why did you compel me to forget you? What did that leave you with?"

"Not a hell of a lot," Damon admitted. "In fact, I don't know why I compelled you at all. And wanting to leave you because you wanted to do something insane that would probably end up making you unhappy in the end? Sacrificing my own happiness so that you could live a happy life without me? What the hell was I thinking? That's something my _brother_ would do. Not me."

Selina nodded. "And from the way my mother was talking, I probably wouldn't have been happy without you anyway. I mean, if you hadn't made me forget us, that is. How can you make me remember again? Do you know a way?"

Damon grinned and nodded. "Sure." Then, he pulled onto the shoulder and kissed her soundly. By the time they pulled apart, she was covered in goosebumps and shaking.  
"Wow," she said finally. "That was fun." She cleared her throat. "Let's never do that whole 'compel-to-forget-each-other-'thing, all right? All this breaking up and getting back together is just nutty. Especially when you and I know that we're stuck with each other and there's no way out of it. Let's just save ourselves the heartache and the insanity and never, _ever_ break up again."

"I second that," Damon agreed.

"So, speaking of couples who are always breaking up and getting back together again, how are Stefan and Elena?" Selina asked.

"Well," Damon said, "they're back together again because when Elena found John and Isobel's bodies, it really threw her for a loop."

"But she didn't even like them all that much," Selina said. "What's she so broken up for?"

"I don't think it was John and Isobel dying that freaked her out," Damon said. "I think it was her coming across them dead and not being mentally prepared for it."

"You mean like when I came to my parents' house to meet with the wolf pack and came upon something akin to what Jay Sebring's house must have looked like once Charlie Manson's people got through with it?" Selina asked.

"Exactly," Damon nodded. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"Oh, it's all right; if you hadn't done it, my mother and the rest of my lyncanthropically-inclined relations would have. So it was actually rather merciful of you."

"Yeah," Damon rolled his eyes. "Merciful was exactly what I was going for."

Selina grinned and patted his leg. "I know you weren't," she said. "What made you decide to do it, anyway?"

"I went and saw Stella and her husband," he said. "We had a chat."

"Ah," Selina rolled her eyes. "Them."

"What's the matter?" Damon asked. "I thought you and Stella were close."

"We were," Selina said. "But I don't know what good they are to me anymore; I mean, if they can't even protect me from a pack of stupid werewolves, I shudder to think what's going to happen to me when Klaus shows up; I'm going to be a dead woman."

"Not if we turn you again," Damon said. "Then they'll have to take Elena."

"No," Selina shook her head. "If the sole reason you're going to turn me is so that she'll be handed over to Klaus and killed while I'm spared, then I don't want to be turned."

Damon growled. "You're doing it again," he said.

"What am I doing?" Selina asked.

"That annoying martyr thing that you do," he said. "Defying all common sense for something that'll get you killed and do nobody any good."

"It's kinda like what you did when you compelled me to forget you and then tried to leave town," Selina said. "If my mother wasn't so pushy, you'd be riding along with me in a first class car on the martyr train."

Damon hit the brake hard and sent Selina flying forward. When she'd gotten back into a sitting position, he said "never mention that again, all right?"

"Oh, all right," Selina said as they pulled into the driveway of the boardinghouse. She looked out the window. "Look," she said. "Elena's here." She saw a couple familiar cars next to Elena's and gasped. "Stella's here too. And Andria. This can't be good."

Damon got out of the car and came around to help Selina out. "Huh," he said. "I wonder what they want."

* * *

Damon and Selina headed inside and were greeted by Stefan. "It's about time," he said. "Where have the two of you been?"

"I was being berated by my mother-in-law," Damon said. "How about you?"

"Stefan, what's going on?" Selina asked. "Why are Stella and Andria here?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; they just showed up, and then Stella said she wouldn't tell me anything until you got here, and then Elena came over and it all went to hell in a hand basket from there."

"All right," Selina nodded sympathetically and put a hand on his arm. "Why don't you go upstairs and lie down for a little while? You look like you could use a rest."

Stefan nodded, heading for the stairs. "You know, I really could."

Damon and Selina headed into the living room where Stella and Andria were sharing a loveseat and staring daggers at Elena, who was watching them cautiously and digging her nails into a leather armchair across the room.

"Sorry we weren't here when the two of you arrived," Selina said, trying her best to ignore the palpable tension in the room. "We got caught up in some things; if we'd known you were coming, we would have come sooner and not kept you waiting."

"Oh, it's no problem, really," Stella said. "We've just been having the most interesting chat with Elena."

"Yeah," Elena said. "Listening to them rant about how horrible Katherine was was just delightful."

"Well, Elena, you have to admit that she wasn't the most principled being to ever walk the earth, now was she?" Selina asked.

"Well no," Elena admitted. "But you didn't have to kill her like that; I almost had a heart attack when I found her body."

"Good," Stella said, smiling with satisfaction. "Then my plan worked."

"Of course we had to kill her," Andria said. "And those other two as well. They were the ones who started all this."

"Don't change the subject," Elena said. "I'm not done talking about Katherine yet. She was your best friend," she said to Stella. "Don't you realize that by killing her, you became just as petty and spiteful? Wouldn't it have been a _better_ revenge to let her live and show her how successful you are at existing in your new life when her whole original plot was to ruin you?"

Selina cleared her throat. "Elena, if you're trying to get sympathy for Katherine, you're in the wrong place; a room full of people she screwed over is not going to give you what you want."

"Why are you even talking to her?" Stella said, looking from Selina to Elena and back again. "Don't you realize, my dear Selina, that Elena's just as bad as Katherine was?"

"What evidence do you have of that?" Selina asked.

"Didn't she try to kill you earlier?" Stella asked. "And don't forget all the stuff she told her parents about you that was supposed to be secret and led to a whole lot of trouble."

Damon watched the conversation. He realized that he wouldn't be able to get any words in and went to join Stefan upstairs. No one noticed him leaving.

Selina looked at Elena and sighed, standing up to go and stand beside her chair. "I admit that they weren't shining moments; but neither was my telling Andria where John and Isobel were hiding out so she could go and kill them."

"You did that?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I did; I'm sorry. It couldn't have been pleasant finding them dead."

"It was horrific, actually," Elena said. Then, she took a breath. "And I'm sorry I told John and Isobel about you having the werewolf gene; I had no idea John was going to call Gabe, or of the reign of terror Gabe was going to have."

"That _was _bad," Selina looked over at Damon, starting when she realized he was gone. "But things worked out in the end. Now all we can do is move on."

Stella frowned at Selina. "I don't believe what I'm hearing." She stood up, gesturing wildly at Elena. "This girl is _evil!_ Her ancestress was and she is too. I'm just ashamed of how easily you're being suckered in by her."

"You want to know what _I'm_ ashamed of, Stella?" Selina said. "How easily you turned against your best friend. Katherine did lots of bad things. Everyone in this room was affected by her actions in some way. But you let yourself get so angry that it consumed you. When was the last time you thought of something happy? Five hundred years ago? Three hundred years ago? Ever since you turned, your mission in life was to destroy Katherine for what she did to you and your family. Well, now you've done it, so what's left? What can you do now? I know! Try and turn me against _my_ best friend so that I become as miserable and lonely as you. Well, it's not going to work; history isn't going to repeat itself. Your issues with Katherine aren't my issues with Elena, despite your efforts to make us think that they were. So why don't you go and bug somebody else? We don't need you anymore."

"What about when Klaus comes?" Stella asked. "You'll need me then. You two will be wishing you'd listened to Katherine and me when we tried to protect you before."

"No," Selina shook her head. She held her hand out to Elena and Elena took it. "I won't see my best friend sacrificed just to save myself."

Stella laughed. "That's so sweet." She looked over at Elena. "And what do _you_ have to say to that heartfelt announcement? Are you going to laugh in her face?"

"No," Elena stood fast. "I agree with it; I don't want to see Selina sacrificed to save me; I guess we'll see what happens when Klaus gets here. Let him have his pick."

Stella scoffed. "You're fools, both of you." She stood up. "Come on, Andria. We're leaving."

"All right, Mama. I'll be to the car in a minute." Stella left and Andria lingered behind. "Are you as disappointed in me as your mother?" Selina asked her.

Andria shook her head. "No, of course not; I think you two did the right thing."

"How do _you_ feel about Katherine?" Elena asked.

"Well," Andria took a deep breath. "The whole reason why I'm here is because I was the recipient of what was probably Katerina Petrova's last act of charity; she turned me when she saw that I was dying so I could see my daughter grow up, at least for awhile; I always suspected that she did it because of some lingering regrets about what went on between her and Mama. Katerina never said anything to that effect of course, and she said that I wasn't allowed to tell Mama about her turning me, or why, but I always had a feeling that if Mama knew, this vendetta of hers would have ended much earlier, and then maybe she would have been able to be happy, you know?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded.

Andria sighed. "Well, I better go. I'll see the two of you later, all right?"

They nodded and waved goodbye.

"Is it over?" Stefan called from the top of the stairs. "How much of the house was destroyed?"

"None," Elena called back. "It's still in one piece. And I'm still in one piece." At that, Stefan took the stairs two at a time and embraced Elena. "I'm so glad you're all right," he said.

"I think we're all going to be all right," Selina said. She went upstairs to her and Damon's bedroom to tell him that the danger had passed, but found the room empty and a note on her pillow written in red ink. Or maybe it was blood, she couldn't tell.

**Start a new life with me. Buy his freedom with your love. Refuse me and send your lover to his death! This is the choice. This is the point of no return.**

There was no signature.

*The letter is made up of lyrics from "Down Once More" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's _Phantom of the Opera._


	38. Notes

When Selina didn't come back downstairs, Stefan and Elena came up. Selina was sitting on her and Damon's bed, clutching then note tightly in her hand.

"What's happened?" Elena asked, sitting next to her. "Where'd Damon go?"

Selina said nothing for a moment, then slowly brought her hand toward Elena and dropped the note into Elena's open palm. "Read that," she said quietly.

Elena read it over. "What's this?" She asked. "Other than being a note made up of lyrics from _Phantom of the Opera_?"

Selina sighed. "I think Damon's been taken," she said. "The note's written in either red ink or blood. I think it's blood. I hope it's not Damon's."

"Why would anyone want to take Damon?" Stefan asked.

Selina shrugged. "I have no idea. Well, actually I do; he's made a lot of enemies over the years, I guess."

Elena handed the note back to her. "I don't think Damon was kidnapped because of something _he_ did. I think he was taken because somebody wants to get your attention."

"Well obviously," Selina said. "But who's left to do that? Tommy's dead, Michael's dead-for good this time- Mason's gotten over the little crush he had on me, Tyler's married to Caroline, so who's left?"

"I don't know," Stefan said. "Were you married to anyone else besides Tommy and just haven't told us yet?"

"No," Selina shook her head. She looked at the note again. "I feel terrible; I don't even know what to do now. But the good news is I don't think we have to worry immediately."

"Wow," Elena told her. "You're taking this remarkably well for someone whose husband was kidnapped and is possibly being tortured and/or killed. I thought for sure you'd be chomping at the bit to go and rescue him; that's what he would do if it was you who was in trouble."

"Well, there's a difference between this and all the times I got in trouble and Damon had to rescue me," Selina told her. "For starters, he always knew who had a hold of me; it was either a Lockwood or Sheriff Forbes. We have no signature. Two, he always had a location: when Sheriff Forbes and her cronies kidnapped me, she freaking called the house and told him where I was; and where would the Lockwoods take me? To the mansion of couse. We don't have a location either! All we know is that someone kidnapped Damon because they want to use him as a bargaining tool to get me to have a relationship with them. And that's it. So before we go barreling into anything, we might as well figure out where we need to barrel, and who in the hell did the kidnapping so we don't have any unpleasant surprises later on."

"That's very sensible," Stefan told her. "I'm amazed."

"Oh, thank you so much," Selina said.

"Do you need a drink?" Stefan asked her.

Selina shook her head, snatched up the note and the three of them went downstairs. "Ordinarily I would say yes," Selina said. "But in this case, I think I should keep my wits about me."

"Where do you want to start looking?" Elena asked.

Selina thought a moment. "I'll go see if I can find Andie; maybe she saw something."

"Where is she hanging out now?" Stefan asked. "She's obviously not staying in your bedroom anymore."

"Of course not," Selina said. "I gave her my extra room."

"And why is that?" Elena asked. "Why didn't you ask Damon to undo the compulsion and send her on her way since he isn't in need of her anymore?"

"Well, for one thing, she's a reporter so she's very good at being nosy; we can use that. For another, we can't just set her loose; she might tell everyone about us being vampires, and then where would we be?"

"You aren't a vampire anymore," Stefan said. "Remember that?"

"Oh," Selina grimaced. "I forgot about that; damn, I should have let Damon turn me the first time he offered."

"Well why didn't you?" Elena asked.

"Because I thought he wanted to turn me just so that Klaus would have to take you. I thought that was bad reasoning. He accused me of being a being a martyr and I told him that if my mother wasn't so pushy, he'd be one with me."

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked. He went to the refrigerator and then poured himself a drink.

"He was planning on leaving Mystic Falls so that I could become a werewolf and live a mostly normal life and he wouldn't have to feel tempted by wanting to turn me," Selina said. "Luckily, Mama heard what was going on because we were at the mansion and she talked him out of it."

Elena smirked. "I can't believe you wanted to be a werewolf," she said.

Selina smiled. "I know; I can't believe it either. But the fact that I'm human now is just one more reason why we have to be extra-prepared before we try to go and rescue Damon. If we aren't prepared and we run into something supernatural, _someone _could die." She looked at Elena. "It could be you, it could be me. We just don't know."

"All right," Elena clapped her hands. "Where do you want to start?"

Selina shook her head. "I really don't know. I'd say start with the note, but it doesn't tell us a heck of a lot." She began pacing. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "The note doesn't say a lot, but it could still be a clue! I mean, whoever wrote it clearly wants me to find them, and I wouldn't be able to if they didn't at least give me a small hint as to where they were or who they were."

"So you're saying that a horribly disfigured guy has taken Damon hostage and is holding him somewhere deep in the catacombs of Mystic Falls in an attempt to lure you down there so he can make you love him in exchange for Damon's life?" Stefan asked.

"What?" Selina and Elena asked at the same time.

Stefan shrugged, taking the note from Selina. "It's just that that's what happens during the musical when the Phantom is singing this song; he's taken Christine's lover Raoul down to his hideout in the catacombs and plots to kill him unless Christine agrees to marry him."

"Wait just a minute," Elena said. "Horribly disfigured guy…didn't you dump wolfsbane all over Gabe's face the first time he tried to rape you?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "But one of the other werewolves killed him, so it can't be him at all. This is so frustrating, I don't know where to start!" Just as she opened her mouth to speak again, the telephone rang. Elena went to answer it. A few seconds later, she handed the phone over to Selina. "It's someone from the hideout. He wants you to come over right away."

Selina cleared her throat. "Hi," she said. "I'm sure that Stella's told you I've decided I don't need you anymore." She paused. "Seriously? Do you really think that's necessary? Sure, I'll come over if you think it's important. Would you do me one favor, though? Would you make sure Stella's out of the way before I get there? We had a fight earlier, and I'm not ready to face her just yet. All right, thanks. I'll be over in a jiff." She turned off the phone and hung it back up again, facing the other two. "He wants me to come over; he says it's horribly important."

"Yeah, we heard," Elena said. "What's going on?"

"He's worried for my safety," Selina said. "Apparently, he has some suspicions that someone's betrayed us to Klaus and that he'll be on his way over here any day now."

Elena gasped. "Should I be worried too?"

Selina shrugged and headed for the door. "I have no idea; he didn't say anything about you, but I don't think it would hurt to watch yourself a little closer from now on."

"Do you want us to keep brainstorming while you're gone?" Elena asked.

"Of course," Selina nodded. "I'm going to be at the hideout for awhile. Who knows when I'm coming back?"

"Do you want us to check up on Andie?" Stefan asked.

"Sure," Selina called back.

Once they got back inside the house, they went to Selina's spare bedroom, but found Andie crumpled dead next to the bed, a note pinned to her sweater. Whoever had taken Damon had killed her too.

* * *

When she arrived at the hideout, Elijah was the one who greeted her at the door. "Thanks for coming so quickly," he said.

"Of course," Selina told him. "Thank _you_ for keeping Stella out of the way; I'd hate to be around when she starts gloating. I told her I was never coming back here, and that I sure as hell didn't need your help. Obviously I was wrong." As Selina closed the door and turned toward him, Elijah frowned and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders.

"There's something different about you," he said. "What is it?"

Selina looked up at him. "Why should I tell you if you already know? I assume you do."

"Yes, of course I do," Elijah snapped, roughly pushing her away. "How could you let yourself be bitten and turn human? This could ruin everything you know!"

"Now just a minute," Selina told him. "That was not my fault! May I remind you that it was _Stella_ who sent me away from the hideout on the day of a full moon when I wasn't at my cognitive or emotional best?"

Elijah sighed. "You're right of course; I've been meaning to talk to her about that."

"And I saw Andria," Selina said. "I know you called her and brought her here. Why exactly did you do that again?"

"Because I knew that Stella would be better able to focus on protecting you if she knew that Andria was, in a manner of speaking, alive and well. For _years_ her goal was to get back at Katerina Petrova for what she did to Andria; make Katerina hurt as much as she'd made Stella hurt."

"I figured that," Selina said. "But now Stella's got nothing to do with herself because Katherine's already dead."

"She is?" Elijah's eyes widened just a hair.

"Yes," Selina said. "Stella killed her the same night Andria killed Elena's other two guardians."

"But Elena herself is all right?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded.

Just then, there was a derisive laugh. Selina and Elijah looked up to see Stella standing and clutching the wall with one hand and a glass of wine with the other. "Yes, Katerina Petrova's doppelganger is alive and well," she said. "But don't count on Selina allowing you to bring her to Klaus. Selina's decided that she doesn't want to save herself if Elena's going to die. She's too good a friend to do _that_."

"What is she saying?" Elijah asked.

Selina took a deep breath. "Elena and I have decided that we will let Klaus have his pick when he finally shows up. We don't want to have a repeat of Stella and Katerina's relationship. If we're going to die, we're going to die friends."

Elijah rolled his eyes. "You can't be serious." He looked at Stella. "Is she serious?"

"Unfortunately yes," Stella nodded. "Isn't it so sweet that it makes you ill just thinking about it?" she staggered into the room and collapsed beside Elijah on the couch.

"Indeed it does," Elijah said dryly, watching Stella for a moment. Then, he turned back to Selina. "It can't be like that," he said. "You're the one we want to save. You aren't even supposed to exist; at least not like this."

Selina stood up. "Well if I'm not supposed to exist, doesn't that make me expendable? Besides, I know the whole reason why you wanted to save me in the beginning was because I look like Andria, and Stella had a sick guilt trip going on about how she let Andria get hurt. Well now, Stella knows Andria's fine and she doesn't give a damn about me, so why the hell should it matter if I'm Klaus's victim or not?"

"It matters," Elijah said, "because I know for a fact that you are going to be Klaus's victim!"

"Oh, my god," Selina said. She put a hand on her forehead and swayed. "You're lying."

"Unfortunately, I'm not," he said, standing up to catch her just as she collapsed. "I told you on the phone that I think someone has betrayed us. Someone who swore to protect you has gone to side with Klaus and wants to bring you with him."

"Just before I came here, my husband was kidnapped," Selina told him. "And whoever kidnapped him left a note."

"Do you have the note?" Elijah asked. "If you do, I want to see it."

"No, I don't have it," Selina said. "I left it with Stefan back at the boardinghouse. He and Elena are helping me come up with a plan to get Damon free. But the note wouldn't have helped anyway; it was just a piece of paper with a bunch of lyrics from _Phantom of the Opera _on it. Stefan says they're from a song that the Phantom sings after he kidnaps the heroine's boyfriend, drags him down to the catacombs of Paris, and then tells the heroine that unless she forsakes her boyfriend and marries him, he'll kill the boyfriend."

"And just from that, do you have any idea who might've taken your husband?" Elijah asked.

Selina shook her head. "No. We don't know where he was taken either."

"That surprises me," Elijah said. "Given the scenario you've just told me, I would have thought that the identity of your husband's kidnapper would be obvious to you, and possibly the location where he's been hidden as well."

"Are you saying you know who took Damon?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "I got a note yesterday. He was very blunt about what he was going to do."

"Well, who sent it?" Selina asked. "The note I got didn't have a signature on it. And I can't believe whoever it is thinks that I'll fall in love with him just because he threatened Damon's life. It's probably just some human who fell in love with me at some point and wants vengeance on Damon. Boy, will he get a surprise when he finds out that Damon's a vampire."

"Actually," Elijah said, "I believe it will be Damon who will be getting the surprise."

* * *

Damon woke up on a cold metal table in a room resembling Frankenstein's laboratory. He sat up slowly, wincing at the horrible pain in his head. He felt it and discovered a bump on the back and, oddly enough, the feeling of stitches. He looked around and saw that he was alone in the room. Frowning, he eased himself off the table. As his feet hit the floor, he looked beside him and saw a piece of yellow paper flutter next to his shoes. He picked it up and read it over. It was a note.

_I bet you're wondering why I brought you here. I just wanted to see my worthy adversary. Very worthy as a matter of fact. But don't think that means I'm giving up. I'm not. I've done all I can with you for now. You can leave. No one will try and stop you._

Scoffing, Damon crumpled up the note and threw it on the floor. It was good that no one was going to try and stop him from leaving. He needed to get home to Selina. She was probably worried sick about him and-suddenly, the pain hit. Groaning, he clutched his head but managed not to fall to the floor. Without knowing how he did it, he made it up a set of stairs and out of the house, feeling the same sharp, burning pain in his head all the while. What kept him going was knowing that the sooner he got out, the sooner he'd be able to get home to Selina and let her know she was in danger.

* * *

"Did you come up with anything?" Elena asked Stefan, who held the note in his hand. He turned it over again. "I think we were on to something when we were talking about the perpetrator being an ex of Selina's. Let's go through those again."

"But Selina went through them already and gave good reasons why it couldn't have been any of them!" Elena said.

"All right," Stefan sighed. "If we can't think of the person who did it, let's think of locations. Obviously, they wouldn't be at the Lockwood mansion because people live there. Doctor Stensrund's house?"

Elena shuddered. "If you want to check that place out, you can go by yourself. I'm never going there again!"

Stefan nodded. "All right, I'll go check it out. And we should probably have a look at all the other abandoned houses around here. It could be any of them."

"_All _of them?" Elena asked. "This is going to take quite awhile, isn't it?"

"But what else can we do?" Stefan asked. "If we had a location, this would be so much easier."

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "And if we knew who did the kidnapping, it would be even easier."

"But we don't," Stefan said. "So we'll just have to take a shot in the dark. If we don't do Doctor Stensrund's house tonight, would you want to come with me?"

"Sure," Elena said. "I'll just call home and tell Jenna or whoever answers that I'm going to be out for a little while longer."

He nodded and she returned a few minutes later. "We're all set," she said. "Let's go."

Just as they were about to head for the garage, there was a strong, persistent knocking at the front door. Elena opened it and screamed. Damon was on the other side. He was crying out and thrashing, clutching his head, unable to speak. Finally, he collapsed just inside the front door, unconscious.


	39. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

"Oh, my God," Elena said. "What do you think we should do with him?"

Stefan looked at him for a moment. "Let's put him on the couch and figure out what's wrong. Because clearly something is." They got Damon up and carried him to the couch, setting him down.

"Do you see anything odd?" Elena asked. "He looks fine from what I see."

"Come around here," Stefan told her. "Feel his head."

"Stitches?" Elena asked after a moment. "What would he need stitches for?"

Stefan shrugged. "I have no idea. Do you think we should call Selina and let her know that we have him so she doesn't need to go out looking anymore?"

"That might be best," Elena said. "I'll do it. And I think I'll tell her about the condition he's in too. If I don't, it could be a shock for her."

Stefan nodded and Elena went over to the phone, giving Selina a call. They spoke for a couple of minutes and then Elena hung up. "She says she'll come right over," Elena said.

"Did she sound all right?" Stefan asked. "Relieved? Upset?"

"Well relieved of course," Elena said. "And curious, when I told her what was wrong with him."

"We don't know exactly _what's _wrong with him," Stefan said. "I wonder what Selina will make of it. Did she say anything else?"

Elena nodded. "She said she had some interesting things to tell us, too."

Selina arrived back at the boardinghouse a few minutes later. "Where is he?" she asked. "Is Damon okay? How bad was it?"

"We moved him up to his bedroom," Elena said. "You can go up and see him if you want. I don't know if he's conscious, though."

Selina nodded and headed up the stairs. She reached Damon's bedroom and opened the door. She found him sitting up in his bed, staring intently at the door and her as she entered. "Are you all right?" Selina asked him. "Stefan and Elena said you've been through something terrible. Are you hurt?"

He grinned weakly. "Only when I breathe. Or talk. Or laugh."

Selina smiled. "Maybe you shouldn't do those things for a while. What happened to you?"

"I don't know," Damon said. "One minute I'm in here, the next, I wake up on an operating table in Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory with my head stitched up. I don't know _what_ happened before that though." He winced.

"Can I get you anything?" Selina asked.

"No," Damon shook his head. "I don't want you to leave."

"All right." She came over and sat beside him, moving to take his hand. But as their hands touched, he began screaming and thrashing again. "What is it?" Selina cried out. "Damon, what's the matter?"

"I don't know," Damon said through his teeth. Selina got up off the bed and hurried over by the door. Finally, Damon was able to get a deep breath. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was flushed.

"What the hell do you think that was?" Selina asked, advancing cautiously toward the bed again.

Damon shook his head. "I have no idea. It was like that all the way back here, too. Every couple of minutes, I would get this really horrible pain in my head."

"Well what were you doing?" Selina asked. "Do you think you hit your head on something?"

"Possibly," Damon said. _"_I know _something_ happened. Feel the back of my head. I've got stitches."

Selina felt. "That's so odd," she said. "I was just at the hideout. Elijah wanted to talk. He said he'd gotten a call or a letter or something a little while back and that someone who used to be on our team had betrayed us and wanted to hand me over to Klaus."

"You?" Damon asked. "Why would he want you? Why not Elena? Who the hell is this person?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know; but Elijah seemed to. I wanted him to tell me, but he got this really annoying smug look and said that I should be able to figure it out on my own. That it should be completely obvious to me who it is."

"And it's not," Damon said.

"Exactly," Selina told him. "But enough of my problems; do you have any idea what's wrong with you?"

Damon shook his head. "No idea. But just as I was getting ready to leave wherever it was I'd been taken, I found a note. I think it was from whoever kidnapped me. It called me a worthy adversary, and said that the person wasn't giving up. I didn't get it at all."

"Did you save the note?" Selina asked.

Damon shook his head. "No, I crumpled it up and threw it away."

"And why did you do that?" Selina asked. "That could have given us more clues as to who took you, and possibly why."

"Well does him calling me his 'worthy adversary' tell you anything?" Damon asked.

"Possibly. " Selina said, sitting down on the bed again. Damon leaned in, and then fell back just as quickly, screaming in pain. "Why is it that you end up hurting whenever you try to get near me?" Selina asked.

"Not just try to get near you," Damon breathed. "When I think about you it hurts too. That's why I passed out when I got to the door. I'd been thinking about you the whole time coming and how I wanted to tell you that you were in danger."

"But who would want to stop me from thinking about you?" Damon asked.

"I would say one of my exes probably," Selina said.

"Date any mad scientists?" Damon asked wryly.

"No," Selina shook her head. "To tell you the truth, all there was in terms of serious relationships was Tommy and he's dead. I saw his body with my own eyes."

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a serious relationship," Damon said. "Were there any really brief ones that ended much too soon for the guy's liking?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "I can't do those types of relationships. I'm a long-term type of person."

"But you said _one_ of your exes," Damon told her. "That has to mean that you had more relationships than just Tommy in the time that you and I weren't together."

"Well, you know about the twenties," Selina said. "All those guys I slept with at the artist colony. But they weren't interested in serious relationships. They wouldn't consider my husband a threat to any of them, at least not to kidnap you and give you brain surgery. I don't think we're going to figure this out on our own. I think you should come to the hideout with me; practically everyone over there has been around a lot longer than we have. Maybe they can bring to light something we're missing."

* * *

Andria knocked on the door to the study hoping that the person she wanted to talk to was in there and that he would answer the door. Thankfully, a few seconds later, she was proven correct.

"What brings you in here?" asked her father, sitting back down in the desk chair.

"It's Mama," Andria said morosely. "She's been drinking again; and when she's drunk, she's not a pleasant person to be around, is she?"

"Not necessarily," her father told her. "Sometimes, she can be a lot of fun when she's had a few drinks in her. It all just depends on what motivated the drinking; she's fun if she did it to loosen herself up. If she did it because she's upset about something, then she isn't so much fun."

Andria sighed. "I think it's the latter. Ever since we went over to the boardinghouse and Selina told Mama that she wouldn't betray Elena over to Klaus, Mama's been in a bad mood."

Her father looked up. "Did Lina seriously tell your mother that she wasn't going to let Elena be killed?"

"Yes," Andria nodded. "Selina also gave her a long lecture about how ashamed she was of her for letting her friendship with Katerina go to hell when they could have easily made up."

"How do you feel about it?" Her father asked.

Andria shrugged. "Personally. I think Selina was right; Mama and Katerina could have found something to bond over in spite of what Katerina did. I mean, they both hated Mama's grandmother; why didn't they just kill her together?"

Her father smirked. "You're my daughter, all right. Unfortunately, your mother doesn't think that way. A betrayal is a betrayal and she doesn't forgive easily."

Andria patted his shoulder. "Is that why you and she were separated for three-hundred years?"

"Yes," her father nodded. "Some of the most miserable years of my life. You'd never get your mother to admit it, but I _know_ she was looking for me before then but just didn't want to be the first one to give in."

"And let me guess; you were looking for her too," Andria said. "I was," her father admitted." He took her hand. "It's times like this that it would be really useful to have your brother around."

"Were he and Mama close?" Andria asked.

Her father nodded. "She was probably closer to your brother than she was to me."

"I bet that isn't true," Andria said. "Is there anything we can do to get Mama out of her mood fast?"

Her father shook his head. "Unfortunately no. We just have to wait and hope something will distract her, or that she'll get better on her own."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "I better go see who that is," Andria said. She told her father goodbye and then went to get the front door. "You just can't stay away, can you?" She asked when she saw who was on the other side.

"Apparently not," Selina told her. "Is Elijah around here somewhere? Something's happened to Junior and we have questions."

Andria thought a moment. "I think he and Mama went out. But he'll probably be back soon. Come inside." They followed Andria back to the study where her father still sat. "What brings you two here?" he asked.

"The fact that I've become the subject of some weird experiment perpetrated by one of Selina's exes," Damon said.

"What do you mean?" Andria asked.

"Well," Damon said, "I got kidnapped, and next thing I know, I'm lying on this cold metal table in a room that looks like Doctor Frankenstein's laboratory and I have all these stitches in my head."

"Maybe somebody stuck something in there," Andria said."And then sewed you back up again."

"What would somebody stick in my head?" Damon asked.

Andria shrugged. "I don't know; it was just a suggestion."

Selina cleared her throat. "Well whatever it is, it might be what's making it difficult for him to come near me."

"It's difficult for him to come near you?" Andria asked. "What happens when he does?"

"He apparently gets really bad pain in his head," Selina said. "It happens when he tries to touch me or thinks about me."

"Huh," Andria said. A sudden noise made her look toward the study door. "Someone just came in downstairs," she said. "Maybe it's Mama and Elijah come back from whatever it was they were doing. He might know what's going on with Junior."

"Why not?" Selina asked. "He knew it was going to happen.

* * *

"I figured I'd be seeing the two of you soon," Elijah said when Selina and Damon met him by the door. "Having problems, are we?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "Some psycho kidnapped me and put something in my head so that it hurts every time I think about or touch Selina."

Elijah looked at Damon in surprise. "_That's_ what he went with? I would have thought he went with something much more immediate and final."

"Who?" Selina asked. "If you know who it was, would you just tell us? Especially if we're going to be in further danger."

"Not 'we're'" Elijah said. "And possibly not even you. It all depends on how you act when he decides to reveal himself."

"You know, you're acting awfully calm about this," Selina said."I would have thought that being betrayed by someone you trusted would make you much angrier."

"I'm angry," Elijah said. "You have to trust me on that; but now isn't the time to act on it. First, we must get our adversary to reveal himself. Then, Selina, you'll need to draw him out. Once you do that, then he'll be of no use to Klaus and killing him will be no trouble."

"Killing Klaus?" Selina asked. "Or killing whoever it was that kidnapped Damon?"

"The kidnapper, of course!" Elijah said impatiently. "Now about what's going on with Damon, it can be fixed, but I'm afraid we're going to have to separate the two of you for awhile."

"Separate us?" Selina asked. "What's wrong?"

"Damon has a device in his head that has been enchanted to make him feel pain every time he thinks about you or touches you. Once we've removed it and he's recovered, the effects of the spell will lessen, but they'll still take quite awhile to wear off."

"And let me guess," Selina said, "having me around would interfere with his recovery."

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "I'm sorry it has to be that way, but it's the only answer."

Selina sighed. "All right," she said. "Anything to help him get better. But you take good care of him, all right?" Then, she turned around quickly and strode out of the room. Andria followed.

"Are you going to be all right?" She asked.

Selina nodded. "As long as I have things to distract me, I should be able to make it through okay."

* * *

That night, Selina got a call from Caroline asking her to come to the mansion and to bring Elena with her.

"How did you know that Elena was going to be with me?" Selina asked when they arrived.

Caroline shrugged. "I just did; are you all right?"

Selina sighed. "Not really. Damon and I had to separate for a while and I just feel kind of lonely."

Caroline frowned. " 'had to separate?' That's not code for 'broke up' is it?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "It's a little hard to explain, but Damon became a victim of some wicked magic that made him experience horrible pain every time he thought about me or tried to touch me, so we went and saw some experts, and they said the best thing to do was for me to stay away from him while they got the spell off and he recovered from it."

"Wow," Caroline said. "What are you going to do in the meantime? Who are you going to get to cheer you up?"

"I don't need anyone to 'cheer me up.'" Selina said. "I'll be fine on my own."

Caroline laughed. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "All that time you were shacked up in Doctor Stensrund's house, you can't tell me you never got lonely."

"All right, I did." Selina said. "Lots of times. But I can't do anything about it; I can't have a good time while Damon is suffering."

"Why not?" Caroline asked. "He obviously feels the exact opposite when he can't be near you. What was the first thing he did after you and Tyler left for Atlantic City?"

Selina scoffed. "He went to a bar and got himself a chew toy."

"I think you should do it too," Caroline said. "Except for the chew toy part. It's not wrong to want a little companionship when you're lonely. All you have to do is tell the guy you don't want things serious, you just want a little company. You'd be surprised how many guys actually go for that."

"I'm not going to have a fling with some strange guy I pick up at a bar, Caroline," Selina said flatly.

"I didn't say it had to be a bar," Caroline said defensively. "It can be somewhere else. Which leads me to why I called you two here tonight: Carol is having a benefit for the historical society next week. She wants me to plan it; would you two help me out?"

"Sure," Elena said. "What do you have planned so far?"

"I was thinking we should have a costume party, a masquerade," Caroline said with relish. "You know, people come dressed as their favorite historical figure and we have a dance. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Sure," Selina said morosely. "For everyone who has a loved one. That would be just jolly. Especially since my mother was murdered at the last Lockwood-thrown party I attended."

"How about I find you someone?" Caroline asked. "You're fun when you're not sulking; it shouldn't be too difficult. Especially since you're human now. That should take some of the pressure off."

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Tyler?" She called. "Would you come down here for a minute? I need to ask you something."

"What?" Tyler called back. "If it's about the plans for that benefit my mother's throwing, I told her I didn't care, and I'm going to tell you the same thing."

"It's not," Caroline told him. "It's about getting Selina a _date_ for the benefit."

That brought Tyler down quickly. "I thought she'd be going with Damon."

"Apparently, Damon is having some…medical issues and he and Selina have to be apart for quite awhile. So who could we get for her?" Caroline asked. "Matt's not seeing anybody, is he?"

"No," Tyler said. "Not that I know of; but her and Donovan? Really?"

"Why not?"Caroline asked. "She's human now. It could work." Caroline looked at Selina. "What do you think?"

"Sure," Selina said expressionlessly. "Why not?"

Looking pleased with herself, Caroline began making a list of decorations on a notepad resting on the coffee table.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom," Selina announced after a moment.

"I'll come with you," Elena said.

* * *

"You don't have to go through with this," Elena told Selina once the bathroom door was closed. "Caroline gets ideas in her head and sometimes they're good and sometimes they're bad."

Selina sighed, "I suppose if I _had_ to date somebody else, Matt's a good choice; he's normal enough, right?"

"He's got _some_ baggage," Elena warned her. "He never knew his father and his mom's not around much either. She drinks a lot and just basically makes everyone miserable. At least that's what he told me."

"Huh," Selina said sarcastically. "An absent father and a mother who flaunts her issues and puts her own needs ahead of her kids' welfare; gee, I really can't relate to that, can I?"

"Come on," Elena said. "You didn't have it _that_ bad."

"Maybe not," Selina said. "But at least I have my icebreaker."


	40. Brave New Girl

"Do you need help with that?" At the sound of the voice, Selina stopped pounding on her locker and turned around. "Sure," she said to him. "I probably will dent it if I hit it anymore."

Matt grinned slightly and managed to get it open. "Where are you going now?" he asked.

Selina grimaced. "Chemistry," she said. "I'm _not_ looking forward to it."

"I have biology," he said. "Would you want to walk with me?" He paused. "Just for company, I mean." He said quickly. "I promise I'm not implying I want anything else."

Selina grabbed her chemistry books out of her locker and smiled back. "It's all right," she said. "And I would love it if you would walk with me."

They walked together toward the science wing, and when Matt reached his biology class, Selina was reluctant to say goodbye; they'd been discussing so many interesting things. So they picked up where they left off and walked together to classes all morning.

At lunch, Selina met Caroline and Tyler and when she saw the look on Caroline's face, she sat down. "I had an interesting morning," she said.

"I bet you did," Caroline said. "Has Matt been walking you to class?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Selina said. "And surprisingly, it's been hard to leave him and go in to learn stuff. He's so easy to talk to. Probably the first person I've met in a while that I don't have _some_ kind of previous connection with."

At that, Caroline and Tyler just looked at one another. Finally Tyler said, "you know, you might be right about that. So, do you like him?"

Selina averted her gaze for a moment. "How enthusiastically will you respond if I say yes?"

Tyler rolled his eyes and grinned. "Come on. You should know by now that I'm beyond being so petty that I feel ecstasy because you like someone other than Damon."

"Here's the next big question," Caroline said. "Now that we've established you like Matt, do those feelings inspire other feelings of guilt?"

Selina thought a moment. "You know," she said, "I thought they would; but they aren't. I'm actually okay!" She smiled.

Caroline grinned and nodded. "Good for you!" Her eyes traveled to the doors of the cafeteria. "If you want to keep that mind set," she told Selina, "don't look at the people who are coming into the cafeteria right now."

Selina leaned in. "Why?" She whispered. "Who is it?"

"Stefan and Elena," Caroline whispered back. "They've both been gone all day; I wonder where they were."

Selina shrugged. "I have no idea." Her eyes met Elena's and Elena and Stefan came toward their table. "Where have you been all day?" Selina asked. "When I didn't see you in math, I got worried."

"Sorry," Elena said, sitting down next to her. "We've been at the hideout; Rose wanted me to tell you that they did the operation to get the device out of Damon's head and that he's recovering now."

Selina breathed a sigh of relief. "That's great; did Rose mention whether or not they had any idea how long Damon's recovery would take?"

Stefan cleared his throat. "It'll probably take a little over a week to get all the leftover magic out of him," he said.

Selina's heart sank. "A little over a week?" she asked. "Like it will be _after_ next Saturday before he gets better?"

Stefan took her hand. "I'm afraid so; are you going to be all right?"

"Yeah," Selina said. "I'll be fine; I'll just use this week as an opportunity to do a little self-exploration." She lowered her voice. "I haven't done that in about eighty or so years. It'll be a good thing."

"Why is it bad that it'll be after next Saturday?" Stefan asked.

Caroline cleared her throat. "Carol's throwing a benefit for the historical society," she told him. "We're having a masquerade, and if Damon's not able to be there, Selina's going to have to find another escort."

"And Caroline already has someone in mind," Elena said dryly.

"Who?" Stefan asked.

Just then, Matt strolled by the table. Seeing Selina, he paused. "Are we still on for Saturday?" he asked her. "Caroline told me about the benefit."

"Sure," Selina nodded. Just as he was about to walk away, she put a hand on his arm. "Listen," she said, "I know I've asked a lot of you, but could I ask you just one more favor?"

"Sure," Matt nodded. "Anything."

She looked at Stefan and Elena and took a deep breath before turning her gaze back to Matt. "At the moment, I'm without residence. Could I stay with you?"

"Sure," Matt said. "What's the problem?"

"Oh," Selina said, "we're just infested with everything, aren't we?" she burst into a fit of forced laughter and gave Stefan and Elena a pointed look.

"Oh, yeah," Stefan said after a moment. "Termites in the walls, a beehive in the roof, and I think I saw some ants in the bathtub yesterday."

"Yep," Selina said. "So we just decided to call the exterminators and have them take care of everything at once. But that means we can't be in the house until after the dance, so-"

"It's no trouble," Matt said quickly. "I mean, it's only me at home and I don't take up a lot of space. You can move in tonight if you want."

"Thank you," Selina said gratefully. "I mean that sincerely, Matt. What time would be best for me to come over?"

"I work at the Grill until ten tonight, but I'll leave a spare key under the mat, so you can show up at any time," Matt said.

Selina nodded. "Sounds good; I'll see you tonight."

He smiled and strode away. Once he was gone, Stefan kicked Selina under the table. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'what am I doing?'" Selina asked. "I can't stay at the boardinghouse; now that Damon's got the device out of his head, you brought him back home, right?"

Stefan thought a moment. "I guess you're right not to come back and be at the boardinghouse. But why go live with Matt? I'm just curious."

Selina shrugged. "It'll be an easy way to keep my mind off what I'm missing," she said. "If I stay with Elena, you'll stop by, and the two of you will talk about Damon's progress and it'll make me sad, but if I move in with Matt, then it'll be easy for me to be distracted from my problems."

Tyler cleared his throat. "And what do you want me to tell your mother when she asks me where you are?"

A smile curved Selina's lips. "Tell her the truth," she said. "And if Mama gives you any trouble, tell her to go jump in a lake."

* * *

When Stefan and Elena arrived at the boardinghouse after school, Damon found the strength to get off the couch and meet them. He was mostly better physically, although he still had a slight limp. "Where's Selina?" He asked. "I have the thing out of my head now. She can come back."

"No she can't," Elena said gently. "Not yet. We want to make sure you're completely better before the two of you see each other again; we wouldn't want you to have a relapse and be comatose on the front steps again."

Looking deflated, Damon collapsed onto the couch. "So if she's not here, then where is she?" He looked hopefully at Elena. "Is she staying with you?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "She thought that staying with me would exacerbate her separation anxiety. Instead, she decided to move in with Matt until the week is up."

"Wonderful," Damon threw his hands up. "All hell could break loose any minute and she's in a house with a human who has no idea about anything. Did it ever occur to the two of you that something could go wrong and that it might be best to tell her that she _had_ to stay with you?" he asked, looking at Elena.

"Well, that would put two dopplegangers in the same space and we don't want to make it too easy on Klaus and his cronies, do we?" Elena asked.

"No," Damon said moodily. He looked up. "Why couldn't she just stay with Tyler and Caroline?"

"Her parents and the other ghostly Lockwood relatives are still hanging out at the mansion," Stefan said. "And you _know_ what happens when Selina and her mother are in the same space for too long."

"Yeah," Damon said. "But I don't know why that's such a problem; she and her mother used to get along well."

"Yeah, but then Selina discovered what it was like to be an emancipated woman, which caused her to scorn her mother's outdated, traditional ideals and that, in a nutshell, caused the friction," Elena said.

"Well, whatever it was, it's really inconveniencing me," Damon said irritably.

"She can take care of herself," Stefan said. "You saw how Selina handled Gabe."

Damon scoffed. "A stupid werewolf is different than an Original. She isn't going to last five minutes if they decide to show up now!"

"What makes you so sure they're automatically going to go after Selina?" Stefan asked, earning himself an elbow in the gut from Elena.

"I'm not sure," Damon said after he'd stopped laughing. "We just have to be prepared for every eventuality."

"Do you want me under lock and key too?" Elena asked. "Should I swear that I'm going to go straight home tonight and stay under the watchful eyes of Jenna and Alaric and promise not to leave my house?"

Stefan thought a moment. "I know you're being sarcastic," he told her. "But go ahead and do it anyway; it couldn't hurt."

* * *

Selina arrived at Matt's house that night with three suitcases, all of which she carried inside on her own after finding the key right where Matt said it would be. She dropped the bags in the front entryway and took a deep breath. The entire house smelled like paint and lemon wood cleaner. Leaving her suitcases where they were, she went into the kitchen. The message light on the phone was blinking. Curious, she pressed it. It was a message from Matt telling her that he'd be home on time and he'd bring some leftovers from the kitchen for dinner.

After the message ended, she deleted it and then looked around the kitchen for something to tide her over in the meantime. She didn't find much. Coming to a decision, she picked up her car keys again and drove out to the grocery store, spending over $200 easy. When she got back, she put everything in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry closets, and then put the bags underneath the sink so they could be used later. Then, she tidied things up and lit a couple of scented candles, placing them strategically around the living room. Sighing with satisfaction, she collapsed onto the couch and turned on the television.

She was on the third hour of a _Gilligan_ marathon when the front door opened and Matt called out to her.

"In the living room," she called back. "Thanks for leaving the key for me."

"You want me to take your bags up to your room?" He asked.

Selina nodded. "Thanks," she said. "Be careful though; they're heavy."

He grinned and pulled out a couple of large paper bags. "In the meantime," he said, "you can get started on what's in these bags. I got a little of everything."

"Thanks," Selina said again. "But tomorrow, I'm cooking for _you_."

"You don't have to," he said. "Besides, I don't have much around for you to work with."

Selina grinned. "Check the refrigerator."

He did and looked up at her, stunned. "Did _you_ get all this?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she nodded.

He gazed around. "And it looks like you tidied things up, too."

"I did, just a little," Selina said. "But it's only fair; I'm not going to mooch off you. I'm going to earn my keep."

Matt shook his head. "You don't have to," he told her. "When I said I wanted you to stay here, it was because I really wanted you to. Not because I was hoping for a cook/maid."

Selina nodded. "I understand but, and I know this is going to sound really crass so you'll have to forgive me; I've had money all my life, all right? Every moment I breathed my mother was always on me, telling me what to wear, who to talk to, what to read, the list goes on and on. I wasn't allowed to do any physical labor because my mother considered that 'beneath me.' So when I cook and clean and stuff, it's not because I have some obsession with absurd traditional gender roles; cooking and cleaning and fixing stuff makes me feel capable, you know. Like I'm a functional member of society, rather than just a decorative ornament. Sounds silly, doesn't it?"

"No," Matt shook his head. "Not at all; in fact, it sounds _admirable._"

Selina smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Matt replied, then took her bags upstairs while Selina dug into the bags

* * *

At lunch two days later, Selina made another announcement that stunned everyone. "I got a job!" she crowed. "At that costume store down the street from the Grill. Matt told me they were hiring and so I went right down there and chatted with them. The manager was _very_ impressed with my knowledge of mid-nineteenth-century women's formalwear."

"You got a _job_?" Stefan repeated. "Why would you want to get a _job_? It's not like you need to work."

Selina nodded. "That's true; but I'm doing this because I _want _to. Besides, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have double the income in Matt's house."

"But you aren't going to be there for much longer," Tyler said. "Why are you suddenly acting like the two of you are living together?"

"Because we _are_ living together," Selina reminded him.

"But remember what we said," Caroline told her. "We said you weren't going to get attached to the guy you were with while Damon was recovering. This was just supposed to be a casual thing!"

"Well excuse me for getting attached to people and caring about them!" Selina burst out. "I'm sorry I can't just use people and throw them away when I'm done with them, but that's not how I am!" And with that, she stood up from her chair and strode out of the cafeteria before anyone else had a chance to say a word.

By the time she reached her locker, she was breathing hard and trying not to cry. She opened her locker to grab her books for her next two classes after lunch. As she grabbed the one on the bottom, a creamy white envelope fell to the floor. Curious, she put her textbooks down on the ground and picked it up. The envelope had her name on it in dark, elegant calligraphy, but was otherwise plain. She tore it open and looked over the letter:

_It's said that if you love someone, you should let them go; and if they come back, then it's meant to be. I let you go, and much too soon. I'm sorry. I probably don't deserve another chance, but I'm asking for one anyway. I'll be at the masquerade on Saturday. Save me a dance. Don't bother looking for me; I'll find you._

_**I love you**_

After she'd finished reading it, she folded it up and stuck it in her purse, just as Caroline and Tyler approached her. "Are you all right?" Caroline asked. "What did you run off for?"

Selina shrugged. "I just wanted to get my books before class; they're heavy, you know." Caroline stared at her hard, but then decided to let it go.

"Aunt Amelia showed up last night," Tyler said.

"Oh, really?" Selina picked up her books. "Did you get the intense interrogation you were dreading?"

"Indeed I did." Tyler nodded.

"And did you tell Mama to go jump in a lake?"

"Of course not," Tyler said. "You can't just say stuff like that to someone like Aunt Amelia."

"Yes you can," Selina said. "And maybe if someone had, she wouldn't be such a nagging pain in the butt."

"Are you all right?" Tyler asked. "Ever since Damon got hurt, you've been acting differently."

Selina shrugged. "I'm fine, thanks for asking." She looked up at the clock. "I have to get to class; I'll see the two of you later." And she left before either of them had a chance to get a word in.

* * *

Selina, Stefan and Elena all had the period before history free, so they met up outside. "Caroline and Tyler are worried about you," Stefan told Selina. "So what's going on? What's the matter?"

Elena looked at Selina for a moment; she was trying to control her expression and keep it neutral, but was failing miserably. Finally, Elena just put her arms around Selina and Selina began to cry. "I'm really lonely," she admitted. "Caroline said I should get with Matt, and I thought it would be easy; I mean, look at Damon and Andie. But being around Matt is just making things worse, you know? We talk, we hang out, we're like buddies. But that's just not enough."

Elena held onto her for a few minutes more while Stefan dug around in his bag. Finally, he pulled out his cell phone and handed it to her. "Go ahead and call him," he said.

Selina pulled her head off of Elena's shoulder. "Really?" She asked. "Do you think that'll be okay? I mean, if it hurts him to think about me-"

Stefan shook his head. "Not anymore; taking the device out of him ended the mental part of the spell. He can think about you and talk about you all he wants with no ill effects."

"And trust me," Elena added, "he's been taking full advantage of it ever since he found out."

"All right," Selina smiled and took the phone, dialing the boardinghouse while Elena and Stefan moved a distance away.

"Hey," she said brightly when Damon answered the phone. "Apparently we can talk to each other now."

"Yeah," Damon replied. "Great, isn't it? Have you missed me?"

"Have I ever!" Selina said. "I mean, it's been so bad I even went out and got a job!"

"So I heard," Damon said dryly. "That's not how I would have handled separation grief, but to each his own; I get a date, you do honest labor. Where is it that you're working again?"

"That costume store down the street from the Grill," Selina said. "Matt told me they were hiring and I impressed them with my knowledge of mid-nineteenth-century women's formalwear."

"I would be more surprised if you _hadn't _impressed them," Damon told her. "So what does your mom think about you getting a job?"

"She's really pissed off about it, apparently," Selina said. "But when she comes to harp at me, I'm going to tell her to jump in a lake. Are you proud of me?"

"Wow," Damon said. "I want you so bad right now."

Selina laughed. "Believe me, I've wanted you longer. It sucks that you aren't going to be better until _after_ the benefit; we could've had a good time."

"Oh, I'm coming to the benefit," Damon said. "I snuck out yesterday and bought my suit. Let me guess: you're going with Matt."

"Yeah," Selina said. "And apparently, I have a secret admirer who's going to be there too. Unless it was _you_ who sent me the note I found in my locker."

"No," Damon said. "I didn't send you a note; but I bought some roses for you; have Stefan and Elena given them to you yet? And what do you mean your 'secret admirer' is going to be there? Since when did you have a secret admirer?"

Selina rolled her eyes. "Couldn't you have waited to ask me that?"

"Until when?" Damon asked.

"Until after I got my roses and made a bunch of exclamations about how beautiful they are and stuff," Selina said. "We weren't done with that moment yet." She got up, took the phone away from her ear and sauntered over to where Stefan and Elena were sitting. "Damon says you have roses for me," she said.

Stefan and Elena looked at one another. "That's right!" Stefan said, standing up quickly. "I left them in the car. I'll go get them right now."

"Thanks," Selina called as he ran off.

"Stefan's getting them right now," Selina said, putting the phone back to her ear. "Now, about my secret admirer: remember what Elijah told us when we were at the hideout last time? About us needing to draw out the person who betrayed him and is going to hand me over to Klaus?"

"Yeah," Damon said. "So you think your secret admirer is the same person who attacked me?"

"I think so," Selina said. "The note says he's going to be at the masquerade and not to look for him because he'll find me."

"Well all right then," Damon said. "That's what we're going to have to do since we don't have much else to go on."

"And you have to let me actually get involved with him," Selina said. "No knight-in-shining armor routine this time, although it's very sweet when you do it other times."

"Don't worry," Damon said. "I trust you; I saw what Gabe looked like the first time you dealt with him. I promise to stay hands off unless you tell me otherwise."

"Thanks," Selina said. Then Stefan came back with the roses and her eyes widened. "And by the way," she said, "the roses are lovely; red ones are my favorite."

* * *

The night of the masquerade, Selina was jittery. "Are you all right?" Matt asked after they'd gotten their masks on.

"Sure," Selina said, trying to stay still. "I just like dances, that's all."

Matt nodded. "All right."

Selina watched him leave to go get the car. He looked really good in a tux and had been very enthusiastic when she'd suggested that they go to the ball dressed as Jackie and JFK. After he parked the car in the driveway, he came back inside and led her out, opening the front passenger's side door and helping her in.

They rode to the town square in silence. When they arrived, they handed off the car to a parking attendant and went to see Mrs. Lockwood, just as she'd requested they do when they arrived.

"You made it!" she said enthusiastically when she saw them. "And why didn't you tell me your cousin was coming?"

Selina frowned, tensing. "What cousin?" She asked.

"Your writer cousin? Carol asked. "Elijah Smith? Why didn't you tell me he was coming?"

Selina's eyes widened for a moment. "Sorry I forgot to mention it," she said finally. "I had no idea he was going to be in town. He mostly likes to drop in unannounced. Where is he, by the way?"

Carol lifted her drink in the direction of the snack table to her left. "He's over there. I found him delightful; but good luck getting a kind word out of his date. I had no idea anyone could be so unpleasant."

Selina turned to Matt. "I have to go and talk to my cousin, but I see Caroline and Tyler over there. Would you mind talking to them while I get the basic pleasantries out of the way?

Matt smiled. "No problem. I'll see you in a little bit."

Nodding, Selina left him and hurried over to where Elijah was standing. "And just _what_ are you doing here?" She asked.

"Damon told me about the note you'd gotten and I wanted to be here when the betrayer revealed himself," Elijah said.

"And," his date, who was wearing a purple ball Renaissance ball gown added, "He never passes up the opportunity to attend a good party."

Selina sucked in her breath. "Stella," she said quietly. "So where's your husband?"

"Oh," Stella took a sip of punch. "He and Andria are off 'reconnoitering'. I thought the party would be much more interesting. Her eyes caught something in the distance that made her frown. "I see Elena's here," she said. "Are you going to talk to her?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "For the five-hundredth time: I'm. Friends. With. Elena. And there's nothing you can do about it except get angry with me and stay that way, which you've already done. But if you think you being angry is going to upset me or make me abandon her, get over yourself; I'm not going to dump my best friend just because you have a hissy fit."

Stella tensed and leaned forward, her arm raised as if she were going to strike Selina, but Elijah placed a hand on her arm. "Don't," he said. "Remember why we came."

"Fine," Stella rolled her eyes. "I'll need to spend some more time at the bar if you'd like me to stay reasonable the whole night."

"Fine," Elijah said. "Do whatever you need to do. Just don't kill anyone." Stella sauntered away and Elijah turned back to Selina. "Be careful about how often you're around Elena tonight. I'm not saying that because I'm siding with Stella, but you _do_ remember that your secret admirer was once a member of Klaus' inner circle, don't you?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "And we don't want to distract him by letting him see me and Elena together so he'll remember he has options."

"Exactly," Elijah said. "Now go mingle. If you're here talking with me, he won't want to come near you. Or at least it will take longer than we want."

"All right," Selina said. She turned to walk away, and but turned back to ask one last question. "Is Stella supposed to be Lucrezia Borgia?"

Elijah nodded. "Yeah. So since she's mad at you, I wouldn't let your drink out of your sight."

Selina smiled. "Thanks," she said, walking away. Just as she reached the small lake in the middle of the party, she felt one hand go around her waist and another hand cover her eyes. "Guess who?" the voice whispered.

"I don't know," Selina whispered back. "Could be anyone. I have several men who want my attention tonight." She pushed his hand off her eyes and turned around in his arms. "But only one whose attention I want." She grinned up at him. "You must be better," she said. "You're holding on to me and you aren't convulsing."

Damon grinned and kissed her. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Oh, I don't know." Selina said. "Lucky guess, maybe? Stella's still mad at me because I'm friends with Elena. Elijah's here and he brought her as his date. Doesn't _anyone_ think I'm capable of handling this situation by myself?"

"We're letting you handle it," Damon said. "We're just here to help with the aftermath." Just then, the music started up. "Would you like to dance?" he asked her.

She grinned. "Of course. Despite the fact that Jackie Kennedy was never in a relationship with Dean Martin, I will dance with you."

* * *

They danced together the rest of the night. Just after the emcee announced that the benefit was almost over, Selina felt a tap on her shoulder. When she saw who it was wanting to cut in, she gasped. "Of course you can cut in, Matt. I'm so sorry. I've completely neglected you, haven't I?"

He said nothing, just took her hand and led her away from the rest of the group to a sheltered veranda where they could be alone.

"Again," Selina said when the last dance struck up, "I'm so sorry for neglecting you. It's just been awhile since I saw my husband and—"

"Shhhh." He put a hand over her lips to quiet her. "It's all right. I only wanted the last dance, my beautiful darling."

Selina gasped. "Tommy! It was you all the time, wasn't it?"

A short time later, a shrill scream pierced the air and the song was abruptly cut off. Selina tried to pull away, but Tommy held her fast. She watched as Carol strode past them, her cell phone up against her ear. "Ambulance," she said, "we need you in the town square. Matthew Donovan has been injured."


	41. The Pied Piper

Tommy tilted Selina's head upward so that she was looking into his eyes. "You seem surprised to see me," he said. "Didn't you know that I was the one who sent you the note?"

Selina shook her head. "What reason would I have to think that? I thought you were dead. I _saw_ you after you died. What are you doing here?"

He let her go. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," he said, beginning to pace around the veranda. "Why do _you_ think I'm here?"

"Oh, I don't know," Selina said. "To kill me? Or hand me over to Klaus? Elijah said you betrayed us and allied with him."

Tommy frowned, brushing hair out of his blue eyes. "Elijah doesn't know the whole story."

"I _would_ ask you to tell me the whole story," Selina told him. "But Matt is a good friend of mine; if you've killed him, you're going to have to kill me too, because I'm going to be in no mood to be cooperative."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "For God's sake, Selina, I didn't kill him. And I don't want to kill you either. But I _had_ to hurt him in order to get his costume. You wouldn't have gone with me if you hadn't thought I was him. What would make you think I killed him?"

"Huh," Selina said dryly, putting her hands on her hips, "Let's think about this; you kidnapped my husband and put a thing in his head so he was hurt every time he thought about me or touched me. That might have something to do with it! Don't try and say you didn't have anything to do with that; I _know_ you did."

He nodded. "You're right about that; it was wrong and I've been remonstrated. Klaus told me that if we want you on our side, it would be best not to antagonize you. And hurting your husband definitely falls under that category."

"Wait," Selina said, "you've talked to Klaus?"

"Yes," Tommy nodded. "He's here with me now. Well not _here_ at the masquerade; but he's in town."

"So after you faked your death, you left town and went to hook up with Klaus?" Selina said.

Tommy nodded. "Of course; I assume Elijah told you that I used to be in Klaus' inner circle? Well, after you and I got married and then I left you, he got angry with me and threw me out. That's why I was with Elijah."

"So you could get close to me again and hand me over to get back in Klaus' good graces?" Selina asked sharply.

"No," Tommy shook his head. "Klaus doesn't want you for the sacrifice; he never did. But he knows about your friendship with Elena and he thinks that could be useful."

"Wait," Selina said. "Klaus wants me to hand Elena over to him? What's in it for me?"

"I'm not allowed to divulge that piece of information," Tommy said. "Klaus wants to tell you about it _personally._"

"Does he want me to meet him?" Selina asked. "Where _is _he?"

"He likes a good drink," Tommy said. "But I have to warn you: if you're going to meet with him, do it _only_ if you're going to actually go through with the bargain you make. Backpedaling could cost you more than you'd ever want to give up."

"How long do I have to decide?" Selina asked.

"He didn't give me a specific time limit, but I wouldn't keep him waiting long," Tommy said.

Selina breathed. "All right," she said after awhile. "I'll give it some thought."

"Good," Tommy said. "Thank you for the dance." He moved to slip away, but at that moment, Elijah and the others bared down on him.

"Did you think you could betray us and just come back here without facing the repercussions?" Elijah asked as he pressed Tommy's face down into the grass.

"Are you all right?" Damon asked Selina, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Just wait a minute while we kill this guy and then we'll be on our way back home."

Selina gently twisted out of his grasp. "Don't hurt him," she told Elijah. "You'll be sorry if you do."

Elijah looked up at her. "I doubt that," he said. "There's nothing you can say that would prevent me from killing him now." He looked up at Damon. "Do you have the dagger?"

"What dagger?" Selina asked.

"This dagger," Stella said, holding it up. "Dip it in white ash wood and it's the only thing with the power to bring down an Original."

"Which is why he wasn't actually dead the first time you saw him 'die,'" Damon said.

"Where did you find this out?" Selina asked.

"Me of course," Elijah said. "I'd be foolish not to know about the one thing that could bring me down." He took the dagger from Stella and plunged it into Tommy's back. Tommy screamed one last time and then was still.

Selina screamed along with him. After it was all over, Damon took Selina's hand and led her back to his car while Stella and Elijah took care of disposing of Tommy's body.

* * *

"It was an eventful night, that's for sure," Stefan said as he, Elena, Damon and Selina drove home. "I feel sorry for Matt though."

"He's going to be all right," Elena said. "After he spends a few days in the hospital, they'll let him out and then, if need be, we can help him re-adjust. What I wonder is, who would attack him like that?"

"Tommy," Selina said gloomily. "Tommy was there and decided to borrow Matt's costume because he needed to talk to me, and knew he would have a better chance of getting my attention if I thought he was Matt."

Elena's eyes widened and she twisted around in the front seat. "Tommy?" She asked. "As in 'AKA Kevin' Tommy? Your ex-husband? The one who you thought was dead?"

"Yeah, him." Selina said. "Apparently, he wasn't as dead as we thought. After he faked his death, he went back to Klaus, and they made plans."

Elena shivered.

"What kind of plans?" Stefan asked. "Where do we need to hide you?"

Selina shook her head. "We don't need to hide me anywhere; Klaus doesn't want to sacrifice me. He never did."

"Did Tommy tell you this?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "And he told me a bunch of other stuff too; Klaus is in town; he came with Tommy. He wants to meet with me because he thinks I could be useful to him."

"I thought you said he didn't want to sacrifice you," Elena said.

"He doesn't," Selina told her. "Who does that leave?"

Elena watched her. "You're going to sell me out, aren't you?" she asked.

"Remember, we said this wasn't going to be a competition between the two of us anymore," Selina reminded her. "We said we were going to let Klaus make his choice and then deal with it once we found out what his choice was; now that we know that it's going to be you, we can take action."

"And just what action will you be taking?" Stefan asked sharply, pulling Elena to him. "Giving her to Klaus the first chance you get?"

"Hey," Damon snapped. "Back off, all right? She never said she was going to do that."

"Of course she will," Stefan said. "There's undoubtedly something great in store for her if she does what Klaus wants; isn't that right, Selina?"

Selina sighed and nodded. "Tommy _did_ mention that possibility, Stefan. But it doesn't matter. My loyalty can't be bought at any price."

"Exactly," Damon said. "She stood up to _Stella_ for Elena. I don't think Klaus will be any different."

"And I don't _have_ to help Klaus," Selina said. "Tommy said I had the option not to."

"Don't be naïve," Damon said. "He probably meant that you had the option to choose to help him of your own free will or be forced to if you refused."

"So I'll be forced to help Klaus," Selina said. "At least that way, I'll do it with a clear conscience. And probably at greater physical cost to myself too."

"No," Elena said. "I won't have you get hurt when it could be avoided. When Klaus comes for me, I'll go quietly. I won't fight it."

"Thanks," Selina said.

"That's just wonderful," Stefan said. "Elena gives up everything and Selina reaps the benefits. Nice to see that this plan is working well for everyone."

"Stefan, it's the only way." Elena said. "If we fight Klaus, then the cost could be more than just my life, or Selina's life. Other people could die too. Innocent people. Do you want that?"

"No," Stefan said after awhile. "I just don't think it's fair, that's all."

"Well no one ever said life was fair," Selina told him.

* * *

When they arrived back at the boardinghouse, they found a note just inside the front door. It was very short and addressed to Selina:

_Meet me at O'Neil's when the time is right. Come alone We have much to discuss and I would hate to be disappointed. You know what I want to hear._

Selina gasped and brought it inside. "Read this," she said, thrusting the note at Damon. "It's from Klaus; I know it is."

Damon read it over. "Are you going to meet him?"

"I have to, don't I?" Selina asked, taking the note back. "I don't see any way of avoiding it."

"Now are you _sure_ that Tommy told you that you're in no danger from him?" Damon asked. "Maybe Tommy was just trying to trick you and going alone would be a mistake."

"No," Selina shook her head. "Tommy seemed pretty certain about what he was saying. He probably would have told me more if Elijah hadn't killed him. We don't want to take any unnecessary risks. I'm going alone."

"I'm coming, but I'm going to hide," Damon said. "The guy who gave you the information was the same guy who compelled you to torture me _and_ put a device in my head that made it impossible for me to come near you without causing me horrible pain. I don't trust him further than I could throw him."

"Why would he lie to me?" Selina asked. "All the things you mentioned happened to _you_, not to me. Tommy never wanted to put _me_ in any danger. So just let it go."

"I don't think so," Damon's eyes flashed and he grabbed her arm, forcing her against the kitchen counter. "I'm going to come with you. Do you understand me?"

Selina stared up at him for a moment. "All right," she said. "Don't have a coronary. If it means that much to you, you can come."

"I wasn't going to wait for your permission," Damon said.

"I figured as much," Selina replied. "Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. If you thought having the device in your head was unpleasant, imagine what _Klaus_ will do to you if he catches you interfering with his plans."

* * *

Elena stayed over at the boardinghouse that night, and before she went to bed, she stopped by Selina's room. "How are you?" She asked.

Selina was sitting at her desk, staring into the light of the desk lamp. "Fine," she said. She turned. "You're doomed and you're asking me how _I _am? I should be asking _you._"

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised by what you found out," Elena said, coming in, pulling up a chair next to Selina's and sitting down on it. "I think there was a part of me that always figured I would be the one."

Selina sat back in her chair. "Really?" She asked. "What made you think that?"

"Well," Elena said, "Katherine was the one the Originals were always after. What happened with Andria was just her attempt to avoid her fate. And obviously it didn't work, so five hundred years later, I have to pay the price."

Selina took a breath. "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

Elena nodded. "When you see Klaus, tell him I'm ready to deal."

"I won't give in that easily," Selina said. "I'm going to fight this as much as I can."

"Don't," Elena said. "Sometimes, taking the easy way out is the best thing to do. Hand me over, get your reward, and move on with your life. And make sure you help Stefan too. He'll need it after I've gone."

Selina scoffed. "Sure, I'll help him; if he lets me near him after today. You saw how he reacted in the car. He's _never_ talked to me like that before."

"Well, this is hard for him," Elena said. "Just like I'm sure it's hard for you."

"Of course it is," Selina nodded. "If it wasn't hard, I would have told Stella that you were the biggest loser in the world and that I would be more than happy to see you dead. I'm absolutely serious when I say you're the best friend I ever had."

"Thanks," Elena said. She looked at the clock on the wall. "I better go," she said.

Selina nodded. "Wouldn't want to keep Stefan waiting and give him one more thing to be mad at me about."

"Goodnight," Elena told her. "And whatever you decide to tell Klaus when you meet him, don't just say it to save me; we both know there's no way to do that now. Say what will be best for _you_ and trust that you did the right thing."

"I'll try to remember that," Selina said. "Goodnight, Elena."

* * *

Two days later, Selina was ready for her meeting with Klaus. Over the lunch hour, she left school and headed to O'Neil's. Damon met her in the parking lot. When she arrived, the place was empty except for a man dressed entirely in black. When Selina entered the bar, the man's eyes widened and he hurried over to her, not noticing Damon sneak behind a plant that completely hid him from Selina and the man's fields of vision.

"You're here!" The man said. "I would recognize you anywhere; you look exactly like her you know. So nice to see the spell worked."

"Who?" Selina asked. "What are you talking about? Something tells me you aren't Klaus. I'm supposed to meet him, so where is he?"

The man pulled up a barstool and sat beside her. "You're right," he told her. "I'm not Klaus; he's decided not to reveal himself until a decision has been made about the part you're going to play in his little venture. I'm just here to tell you the terms of the deal."

"That explains _some_ of what you said to me," Selina said. "What about the rest of it?"

The man leaned in. "My name is Reginald Fale," he said. "Five-hundred years ago, I cast a spell on your ancestress Andria Warren which led to the creation of dopplegangers in her family line so that Katerina Petrova would be protected. I've been running from the Originals myself ever since. But Klaus finally caught up with me. I thought he would kill me, but he said that as long as I worked for him, he would spare me."

"So _you're_ the one who caused all the trouble for me," Selina said, her eyes narrowing."How are you still alive?" Selina asked. "You're a wizard, not a vampire or anything. Do wizards really live that long?"

"No," Reginald shook his head. "I was cursed with immortality soon after my encounter with Katerina Petrova; it was a way for Klaus to show that he was on to me." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, here is your incentive to join Klaus of your own free will: If you agree to join us, then I have been instructed to use my powers to make you and your husband human permanently and rid you of your werewolf gene."

"Are you serious?" Selina asked, feeling her jaw drop.

"Yes," Reginald nodded. "We're giving you what you want. Are you going to give us what we want? Are you going to give us Elena Gilbert?"


	42. A Little Priest

Selina looked at him, and opened her mouth to answer. Reginald leaned forward in expectation, undoubtedly waiting for her to say 'yes.' But to his surprise, no words came out. She began coughing and once she got her breath back, she said "Can I run to the bathroom fast? I just need to prepare myself."

"Of course," Reginald nodded. "I understand that this is difficult for you, but you won't regret it, I promise."

Selina stood up and ran in the direction of the bathrooms. Damon followed her. "Did you hear that?" He said. "He said he could make us _human_."

"Yeah," Selina turned. "But that's only if I agree to help Klaus of my own free will, which I'm _not_ going to do."

"Wait just a minute," Damon said. "Let's talk about this before you make any decisions."

"No," Selina shook her head. "There's nothing to talk about; I'm not handing Elena over to Klaus of my own free will and that's all there is to it. I can't believe how selfish you're being."

"Fine," Damon said. "Tell Reggie that you're not going to help Klaus; put your life in danger. It doesn't make any difference to me."

"Oh, how mature." Selina shot back. "All we need now is you threatening to put me over your shoulder and drag me out of here for being so reckless with my life and then we'd have a scene to win an Academy Award, wouldn't we?"

"I may still do that," Damon said. "It just depends."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she said. "You can go now. I don't see what you need to be here for anymore."

"I need to be here," Damon told her, "Because I have the car; unless you'd like to _walk home_ that is."

"Or to school," Selina said. "I'm at school now."

"Whatever," Damon rolled his eyes. "If you're going to do this, just get it over with now."

"All right," Selina said, stalking away. "Thank you _so _much for your support."

When she got back into the main room, she cleared her throat and approached the table where Reginald sat waiting. "So it's no?" He asked.

Selina nodded. "I'm afraid so."

Reginald kept his eyes on her. "Do you realize what you're getting into by refusing our offer?" He asked.

Selina nodded. "Yes, I do. I accept all consequences. Whatever Klaus is planning, tell him I said 'bring it on.'" And she grabbed her book bag and strode out of the bar before Reginald had time to say another word.

* * *

Most of the ride back to school was silent. Despite Selina's several attempts to start a conversation, Damon wouldn't talk to her. "I don't understand why you're so upset with me about this," Selina said. "I did what I thought was right. Tommy told me not to make any promises to Klaus that I didn't plan on keeping, so I thought it would be best to tell the truth."

"But it won't do you any _good_," Damon said. "Klaus is still going to make you do what he wants, only now you aren't going to be aware of it."

"At least I'll be doing it with a clear conscience," Selina said. "At least I'll know that I didn't knowingly betray Elena."

As she said this, they pulled into the high school parking lot and something in Damon seemed to snap. He made a sharp curve to the left, crashing into someone's Lexus and making a big dent in the side. Then, he turned on Selina, his eyes flashing. "Damn your conscience," he said quietly. "Why can't you do what's supposed to come naturally to you? When was the last time you thought of yourself?"

"I _can't_ think of myself now," Selina said. "I couldn't live a happy human existence with you knowing that it came at the cost of my best friend's life." She paused when she noticed he was glaring at her. "So," she said, "I'll just be getting out of the car and we can talk more about this when I get home, all right?" She reached for the handle to the car door, but Damon put his hand on her wrist, keeping her trapped.

"I think we need to take a little trip," he said. "School can wait; this is much more important."

Selina let go of the door handle and twisted her body to face him. "Where are we going?" She asked.

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Where people can talk sense into you," he said.

Selina shook her head. "That doesn't really narrow it down," she told him.

"Stella's," Damon said simply.

Selina pouted. "I don't want to go to Stella's. She's pissed off at me anyway, so what good's it going to do?"

"Exactly," Damon was grinning like a maniac now, starting the car and driving in a haphazard fashion toward the hideout. "Stella's mad at you about being friends with Elena, so she'll have no problem siding with me and telling you you're crazy."

"Goody," Selina said flatly. "I can't wait."

* * *

When they heard the noise from outside the study, Stella and her husband poked their heads out of the study doorway to call out to anyone who might be listening. "Can someone go downstairs and see what's going on?" Stella yelled. "We're trying to concentrate here!"

"I'll go," Rose said. "But there are only so many people it could be; how many people know about this place, really?" She hurried down the stairs and came back to the study a few minutes later, holding Damon by his collar and Selina by her arm. Selina had a scratch on her cheek and Damon was sporting a magnificent black eye. They were both breathing heavily.

Stella and her husband looked at one another. "Isn't that sweet?" Her husband asked. "Just like us five-hundred years ago."

"What's the matter with you two?" Stella asked. She looked up at the clock on the wall. "Isn't Selina supposed to be at school?"

"Yes," Selina nodded. "I am; but I had my meeting with Klaus' goon today over the lunch hour. Junior insisted on coming along, and when I refused Klaus' reward for handing over Elena, Junior got upset with me; when we reached the school parking lot, he rammed into some guy's Lexus and then drove me here because he said you needed to 'talk some sense into me.'

"She's completely lost her mind," Damon said, gesturing wildly at her. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you; Klaus' wizard buddy offered to make both her and me human and she turned him down. And then on the way here, she punched me in the eye!"

"That's because you tried to bite me!" Selina said shrilly. "What was I supposed to do? Just sit there and let you?"

"Why did you turn the offer down?" Rose asked in surprise, changing the subject.

"Because she felt bad about having to give up Elena first," Damon said. "She thinks she can't live with that on her conscience. Aren't you disappointed in her?"

"I can't say I'm happy," Stella said. "Elena's not worth losing everything over."

"I would have thought that you _would_ be proud of me for not giving up Elena," Selina said. "If I'd have given her up, I would be just like Katherine when she gave you up to your grandmother so your grandmother wouldn't hand her over to be killed. By saving Elena, I proved that I'm the bigger person."

Stella opened her mouth to protest, but couldn't think of anything to say. Selina was right. "Damn," Stella whispered finally. "That's a good point."

"And about the whole 'not wanting to be human while Elena's dead' thing: isn't that basically the same thing you told your husband when he offered to make you a vampire, but you didn't want to leave your kids because you thought it would make you seem like a bad mother?" Selina asked. "And because it hurt you too much to leave Andria?"

"What about me?" At that moment, Andria entered the study. "What are we talking about?"

Stella sighed and looked up at her daughter. "Selina finally did it," she said.

"Did what?" Andria asked curiously.

"I brought your mother over to the pro-Elena side rather than the anti-Elena side," Selina said.

Andria nodded in satisfaction. "It's about time, really," she said. "I mean, Mama you already got to kill Katerina. What more could you possibly want? Elena's never done anything to you."

"Yes, yes," Stella said. "Can we move on, please?"

Just then, there was another knock at the door. "Come in," Stella said. Elijah entered a second later. "Did I hear Selina come in?" He asked. Then he looked over and saw her. "Did you have your meeting with Klaus today? How did it go?"

"I didn't have a meeting with Klaus," Selina said. "One of his goons was there in his stead, but I have no doubt that he'll be manifesting himself in some way very soon."

"What did you make of his offer?" Elijah asked.

"Oh, I told him no," Selina said.

Elijah stepped back. "You didn't," he said.

"She did," Damon told him. "She had a chance to have her werewolf gene banished from her body and to have both of us be made human, but _no_, if she has to give up Elena first, forget it, it ain't gonna happen."

"I don't see why you're so upset about this," Selina told him. "The bad stuff isn't going to happen to _you_. You're just mad because you didn't get what you want."

"Well, _duh_," Damon said. "What other reason _is _there for me to be angry? Oh, maybe the fact that you've basically just doomed yourself to a slow and painful _death_?"

"What goon was there?" Andria asked.

"Someone you might know," Selina told her. "Do you remember anyone named Reginald Fale? He said he was the one that performed the doppelganger ritual on you. When he saw me, he said he was happy that it worked."

Andria burst out laughing. "Reginald? When he kidnapped me, his name was Alistair. You would think that if a person is able to pick their own name, they'd pick something _not _dorky." She became solemn. "If Klaus has Alistair working for him, I might be able to make that work for us."

"How?" Stella asked.

"Because he owes me," Andria said. _"Big time."_

"As for the two of you," Stella's husband said, looking at Damon and Selina. "I want you to go back to the boardinghouse."

"What are we suppose to do now that Selina's probably made all hell break loose?" Damon asked.

"Wait," Elijah told him. "And if I were you, I'd turn Selina back into a vampire; just to be on the safe side."

"All right," Selina said, standing up and heading out the study door with Damon following close behind.

* * *

"Do you want to do it?" Damon asked her in the car on the way back to the boardinghouse.

"Do what?" Selina asked, making a turn.

"Do you want me to make you a vampire again?" Damon asked. "It makes perfect sense; as a vampire, you'd be better able physically to deal with whatever Klaus throws at you. Besides, if you and I can't be humans together, we might as well be vampires."

Selina suddenly gasped and pushed the brake down hard at a stoplight. "What's the matter?" Damon asked. "Like I said, it was only a suggestion. We don't _have_ to if you don't want to."

"No," Selina said. "That's not what I gasped about. I think it's a good idea. But we should wait until Klaus makes the first move so we at least know what we're up against. What I'm freaking out about is how stupid we've been. We've had the solution to all our problems right under our noses the whole time, and did we think about implementing it? No, we didn't. But if you and Stefan want _both _Elena and me alive by the time this is all over, we have to implement it now; Stefan and Elena might not like it, but we have to tell them it's the only way."

* * *

That night after listening to the oldies channel for an hour (because it was the only station with music she felt was calm enough to make her fall asleep), Selina finally drifted off.

…_It was a sunny day; she was at the park, flying a kite, surrounded by a bunch of kids who were laughing and screaming and running around. They pulled her into their game of tag and then she joined them in a game of duck-duck-goose. After three rounds of that, one of the boys pushed her into the small lake in the center of the park. She laughed as she hit the water. Then, she felt herself begin to sink. She tried to swim upward, but found to her horror that she couldn't move her body. Water began flowing into her mouth, choking her. Only, it wasn't water; it was blood. Finally, she felt someone haul her up. Taking a deep breath of the clean air, she opened her eyes, turned to thank the person who had pulled her out, and screamed: it wasn't a person who had pulled her out at all. It was one of the children, but he had become skeletal. His eyes were sunken into his sockets. His skin was yellow and flaking off. She pulled away, but the boy followed her. Then, other children joined him. As lightning illuminated the blood-red sky, she got a good look at them: they were all dead and in advanced stages of decay. As she ran to get away, they chased her into an old cemetery. The gate squeaked as she threw it closed. She didn't watch the ground, but kept her gaze behind her. Then, she tripped over a tree branch, falling into an open grave. _

She woke up soon after, screaming, the dreadful laughter of the children still ringing in her ears.

"We'll get you fixed up right away," Damon said. "That dream you had last night doesn't sound good at all.

"It wasn't," Selina assured him. "It wasn't _at all._ Once the breakfast dishes were cleared, they went up to their bedroom and locked the door. Damon headed into the bathroom. Cutting himself, he came out and offered Selina his wrist. "Drink," he said. "We want this to go as smoothly as possible."

Selina put her mouth to his wrist and swallowed. "Now you have to kill me," she said. "Do you think you can do it?"

"Sure," he said. "Get in the bed."

She did so.

Damon looked at her long and hard. "You can't hesitate now," Selina told him. "If it really is too hard for you, get me a knife and I'll make it quick."

He nodded and went to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest knife he could find, and brought it to her before quickly leaving the room. When she screamed, he winced and steeled himself not to open the door. When things became quiet, he went inside. The once-snow-white sheets were now red with Selina's blood. He watched her. Three hours later, she woke up.

"Hi," he told her. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," she said, slowly sitting up. "But I _am _a little hungry."

Damon nodded. "That's to be expected. I'll go order something in. what would you like?"

A wicked grin spread over her face. "What have you got?" she asked. "Poet? Priest? Lawyer? Actor?"

He laughed. "How about I get a pizza?" He asked. "I haven't had one of those in awhile."

"Sounds good," Selina said. "You eat the pizza…"

"…and you can have the delivery boy." Damon finished for her.

An hour later, the pizza was gone, and the delivery boy was drained and buried in the backyard. "Good thing Stefan and Elena are gone," Damon said when he came back in. He was sweating and covered with dirt. He looked at Selina. "What do you want to do now?"

"Oh, I don't know," Selina said. "We should probably discuss how we're going to sell the plan to Stefan and Elena."

"You remember that?" Damon asked. "I thought you'd be too out of it."

Selina laughed. "Please. This is my third transformation. I'm getting pretty good at it by now."

"Good point," he said.

"So, I think we should just be blunt about it," Selina said. "We really can't beat around the bush with this, can we?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "We can't."

Just as they were agreeing on this, they heard the door opening downstairs. Elena called up to them. Selina called back and she and Damon went downstairs and asked Stefan and Elena to sit down at the kitchen table. "We have a plan to deal with the sacrifice thing so that everyone wins," Selina said.

"Great," Stefan said. "Have you decided to go with Klaus?"

"I said _everyone _wins," Selina said, frowning. "I wouldn't be winning if I went with Klaus."

"Well, what solution is there that would help everyone?" Elena asked.

"Well," Selina leaned forward. "In the past, why was it that you were the logical choice for the sacrifice instead of me?"

"Because you were a vampire and I'm human."

"Exactly," Selina said. "Now, I've changed over again. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"I do," Stefan said. "You're suggesting that we turn Elena into a vampire too."


	43. Earth Angel

Elena pulled back. "You're really serious, aren't you?" She asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I know that you might not go for it because of Isobel and everything, but really, it's the only way."

"Here's the question though," Elena said. "If we turn me, then what's going to happen to you?" She asked Selina. "As long as you have the werewolf gene, you can still be bitten by a werewolf and turned human."

"That's true," Selina said. "But we don't know if Klaus knows that. I mean, Tommy didn't even know that. And how would Klaus find out?"

"Elena would probably tell him," Damon said. "It's not like she hasn't done it before."

Selina put a hand on his arm. "Stop," she said. "We don't need to bring that up again. The last thing we need in a situation like this one is for any of us to turn against each other, so let's try and just get along, _okay_?"

"Fine," Damon huffed. "Fine." He stood up. "I'm going to go back over to Stella's; I can't be here anymore."

Selina watched him leave and then turned back to Elena. "So," she asked. "What do you say?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "I'm not going to turn just to save myself. That's what Katherine did to Stella and we know how that turned out."

Selina sighed. "Well wonderful," she said. "We're no further along then we were before." Remembering her dream, she grabbed Elena by the shoulders. "Klaus is in town now," she said. "He's here in Mystic Falls. I've already turned down the deal he wanted to make with me and he sent me the most awful dream: Graves, swimming in blood, dead children…ugh." She shivered. "Now that I've refused to help him willingly, he could make me do anything at any time to get you to him; you could wake up tomorrow morning and find me dragging you off to some spot in the woods with Klaus, Alistair and whoever else waiting with a knife to slash your throat and watch you bleed; do you want that?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't, no. I have to admit that that doesn't sound too nice."

"Exactly," Selina said. "It's sweet that you want to save me, all right? And I thank you from the bottom of my heart; just by saying that, you've made up for every wrong that Katherine did against Stella. You don't need to show it with actions too."

"Are you sure?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded and shook Elena a little. "Of course I'm sure! Stefan was right when he got upset about you having to take the fall while I get saved completely. I've lived my life; you haven't. All the last hundred or so years have been is gravy."

"Wonderful thing to tell me when you're trying to sell me on becoming a vampire," Elena said, trying to smile. Selina just shook her head. "Go get Stefan," she said. "If we're going to do this, we should do it now before we all lose our nerve."

When Selina heard the knock on her bedroom door, she put her book down and got off her bed to go answer it. "Did Stefan do it?" She asked Damon as he came into the room.

He shook his head. "He couldn't do it."

Selina sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "Why not?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know; believe me, I told him it was absolutely necessary, but I guess he couldn't bring himself to hurt her."

"Well for heaven's sake," Selina said. "He doesn't have to hurt her at all, at least not in the beginning. He just has to let some blood, put it in some sort of container, give it to her, have her drink it, and then…"

Damon nodded. "I think it's the 'and then…' he's having a problem with."

Selina sat back down on her bed. "I guess I understand that; I mean you can't kill me, can you? I had to do it this time around, didn't I?"

"Yes," Damon nodded. "And your father had to finish you off the time before that."

"Huh," Selina said. "Do you think I should ask Daddy and Mama what I should do about this? Or what we should do? They might have some suggestions."

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Damon said. "Just don't tell them that you gave up a chance to have your werewolf gene disappear. They'll give you grief for that."

"I wasn't planning to," Selina said. "Now, what exactly did Stefan do? Does Elena have blood in her system? Is it all over but the killing?"

"Exactly," Damon said.

"If that's all that's left to do, I could go take care of it right now," Selina said. "Just don't tell Stefan what I'm doing."

"Why would I do that?" Damon called after her. "That's about as dumb as you telling your parents about the deal you rejected on purpose. But he might be in the room when you go and dispatch Elena, so you should probably think of a good cover story."

Selina stopped and turned around. "Damn, you're right about that. Should I just wait until morning? How long does it take for blood to get out of a human's system anyway?"

"I believe you'll be safe if you wait until tomorrow," Damon said. "Do you still want to go see your parents?"

"I probably should," Selina said as she got into bed. "It's been awhile since I've actually been up to visit, and no one can pile up guilt like my mother."

"You mean all the times you went to the mansion to see Tyler and Caroline you didn't stop to say a quick 'hello' to your mother too?" Damon asked. "That's cold."

"I've discovered recently that my mother and I are happiest when we're apart from each other," Selina said. "We can't be in the same room for long without me getting irritated by her stupid old-fashioned ethics or her being frustrated with me for just being myself."

"What does your father think about all this?" Damon asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know; he said he'd talk to her about it, but so far I haven't heard anything from him."

Damon nodded. "If I were anyone else, I would be giving you a lecture about how your mother is your mother and that you should reconcile with her for that reason alone, but I'm me and I know what it's like to have a parent who doesn't accept you for who you are. You shouldn't have to put up with that."

"So you think I'm right to stay away?" Selina asked.

"Yeah," Damon said, putting his arms around her. "Let her come to you if she wants to talk because this is her problem, not yours."

* * *

Shortly after midnight, Selina woke up and got out of bed. She walked over to the door, opened it, and then got out into the hallway, walking slowly to Stefan's bedroom. She opened the door. The light hit Stefan and Elena, but they were both asleep and didn't stir. She crept toward the bed, grabbing a flashlight, which she used to smack Stefan soundly over the head. His body twitched for a moment, then was still. Selina let the flashlight fall to the floor and then came around the bed. She stood in front of Elena and ran her fingers through Elena's hair, looking at her for a long moment. Then, she slowly began to pick her up. She had almost gotten Elena out of the bed when Elena's arm hit the alarm clock on the bedside table, knocking it to the floor. It hit with a crash and the time began flashing 12:00 repeatedly. The radio came on, an oldies station, just at the beginning of the song "Earth Angel" by the Penguins.

As the song blared, Selina gasped, dropping Elena to the floor. Elena squealed as her head hit the wood. "What the hell?" She asked, looking up at Selina.

Selina looked around. "I don't know," she said. "I don't even remember coming in here."

Unsteadily, Elena got to her feet and went around to the other side of the bed when she noticed that Stefan was no longer there. "What did you _do_?" Elena asked, looking back at Selina. "Stefan's been hit pretty hard over here."

"What makes you think I did it?" Selina said, coming around to look at him.

"Well," Elena said, "you were the one who was trying to carry me off—" she paused and gasped. "What's the last thing you _do_ remember?"

"I was having a good dream," Selina said. "You and me and Stefan and Damon were all camping in the woods; it was a bright, sunny day and the birds were singing. I was just about to throw you into the creek for a joke; Damon dared me to."

"Klaus is manipulating your dreams again," Elena said.

"Seems like it," Selina said, nodding and sitting down on the bed. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "If the two of you are planning on having a party, at least keep it quiet; and have you seen-" Damon started when he saw Selina on the bed. "What are _you_ doing in here?" He asked as Elena went to shut the radio off.

"Klaus' bidding, apparently," Selina said.

"He's controlling her dreams again; we were all camping in the woods." Elena added.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked.

"On the floor next to the other side of the bed," Elena said, gesturing. "Selina knocked him out before she tried to carry me off. Klaus probably realized that he would try to interfere and so he incapacitated him for a bit. Would you get him off the floor?"

Damon hauled Stefan up and the three tucked him in again. "Now," Damon said, looking at Elena, "I know that Stefan was freaked out about killing you to finish your transformation, but I think it's extremely important we go through with it now, considering what just happened."

"Oh, I agree," Elena said, nodding. She looked at Selina. "Would you do the honors?"

"Sure," Selina said. "Just to be sure, I think I should give you some more blood."

Elena nodded and looked away as Selina drew blood from her arm. Damon watched this with interest. "Considering how woozy even a paper cut used to make you, it's amazing how well you are handling this."

"Well," Selina said, breathing heavily, "as long as I don't think about it too much, I'm fine." She gave Elena arm. "Drink, please," she said. Elena looked at her for a moment, then tentatively took Selina's arm and put her lips to it. After a minute or so, she pushed it away, sputtering. "Is that enough?" She asked. "I don't think I can take anymore."

Selina looked at Damon. "Do you think she took enough?"

"Just a little more," Damon said. "We can put it into a cup if you want. That might make it easier to ingest."

Elena grimaced. "You're acting like I'm just taking yucky medicine or something."

"Well, both that and the blood are disgusting but end up saving your life in some way," Selina said. She went to the kitchen and came back a few minutes later, clutching a cup. "Here," she said. "This is the rest of what you need to take. If it freaks you out, just don't look at it."

"Spoken by someone who should know," Damon said. Elena shuddered and gulped down the rest. Once it was all gone, Damon took the cup away while Selina tackled the next step. "How would you like to handle what we need to do next?" Selina asked.

"You're asking me how do I want to die, right?" Elena asked.

Selina nodded. "Basically. I'm guessing you want to die as painlessly as possible?"

"Yes, please," Elena said.

Selina picked up a pillow. "Lie back," she said.

Elena nodded slowly, sinking back and shutting her eyes. Selina pressed the pillow over her face. It took a little while, but soon, Elena was dead. Selina removed the pillow and breathed a sigh of relief. Now, all they had to do was wait for her to wake up.

Damon came back just after Selina removed the pillow. "How did it go?" He asked. "Did everything go smoothly?"

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I need to wind down a bit. I think I'll go put my swimsuit on and do a few laps around the pool."

Damon nodded. "I think I'll take Elena over to Stella's before she wakes up. If Stefan comes to and sees what we did, it just might put him over the edge."

"I agree," Selina said. "Let's have everyone at Stella's watch her until she's stable, and that'll give us time to prepare Stefan for what we did." She paused. "It's a good thing we got Stella on our side before we did this," she said. "Otherwise, we'd be in _biiiig _trouble."

* * *

Damon took Elena over to Stella's and Selina got into her bathing suit, grabbed a portable radio from her closet and went outside. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at the night sky as she eased herself into the pool. She floated on her back, feeling a kind of peace come over her. Then, she heard a click. Despite the fact that she hadn't turned the radio on, a song began: "Earth Angel" by the Penguins. Selina felt herself go cold; it had nothing to do with the water or the night air. She turned over in the water and began propelling herself to the side of the pool where the radio sat. She fumbled to find the off switch, but soon discovered that nothing she did would make the song stop. Finally, she picked up the radio and threw it into the deep end of the pool. It slowly sank and lay incongruously on the pool floor. She stared at it for a moment, transfixed. The image of it blurred as she stirred up the water. Then, she finally came back to herself and boosted herself up out of the water, hurrying back inside.

She quickly shut the door behind her, then ran upstairs, shutting the door behind her. She stepped into her closet and got into an oversized t-shirt. She stood in front of her full length mirror, breathing heavily, her eyes wide. "I'm okay," she whispered to herself. "I'm okay." She climbed into bed, but didn't try to shut her eyes. She knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep. When Damon got back from Stella's, he found Selina rocking back and forth on her bed, not speaking, but humming. He put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "Are you all right?" he asked her. "Did something else happen?"

She nodded and pointed to the radio. He gave it to her and she turned it on. Every station she turned to played the same song.

"That was the song that was on when you tried to take Elena, isn't it?" Damon asked. She nodded. "It's Klaus' way of announcing he's here. Alistair wasn't kidding when he said Klaus would do whatever he could to make me give him Elena." Her voice was subdued now. "Did you get her away all right?"

Damon nodded. "Yeah. Rose said that everyone would look after her. Andria wasn't there, though. Stella said she'd gone to have a meeting with someone."

"Alistair?" Selina asked. "Do you think she's calling in her favors?"

Damon nodded. "I bet she is."

* * *

Alistair was surprised to find her on the front steps of their house so late at night. "I've come to give myself up," she said.

Alistair bit his lip on a smile. "That's a nice thought," he said. "But you aren't eligible. And even if you were, I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I love you too much."

Andria stepped in. "Would you be willing to prove that?" She asked.

"What would I have to do?" Alistair asked.

"Make sure Selina doesn't come to any harm," Andria said. "I realize that Klaus wants to sacrifice Elena and not Selina, but if any harm comes to Selina at any point, there will be hell to pay. Do you understand me?"

Alistair just shook his head. "What can you do against me?" He asked. "What would you _want_ to do against me?" He pulled her close. "Well?"

Andria pushed him away. "You're disgusting, you know that, right?"

"Possibly," Alistair said. "But you can't think I'm too bad. Otherwise, you wouldn't be down here asking me for favors, would you?"

"Oh, shut up," Andria said. "Just protect Selina, all right?"

"Fine," Alistair said. "Consider it done."

"All right," Andria said. "Good night." She got up to leave. As soon as she was gone, Alistair was joined by Klaus. "That was a pretty scene," he said.

"What did you expect me to tell her?" Alistair asked. "The truth?"

"No," Klaus grinned widely. "That would spoil the surprise. It was very clever of you to lie like that. Selina has turned Katerina's doppelganger into a vampire. That wasn't very nice of her. We need to teach her a lesson. And kill Andria too, so she doesn't interfere."

"What kind of lesson?" Alistair asked.

"A permanent one," Klaus said. "Selina's _so _much prettier than Katerina. And if there's one thing I like more than a pretty girl, it's a _dead_ pretty girl."

"So we use Selina instead and leave Katerina's doppelganger alone," Alistair said. "It's easy enough."

"No," Klaus said. "Selina's just an extra; for the spell to work properly, we must sacrifice the Petrova doppelganger; I'm sure you can figure out some way to make her human again."

"Of course," Alistair said after a minute. "But, just because I'm curious, why are we killing Selina and Andria if we're using Katerina Petrova's doppelganger for the sacrifice?"

Klaus grinned again. "Why not?" He asked.


	44. Outta My Head

A few days later, Selina awoke to the sound of a bell. She rolled over, got up on her knees, and shook Damon awake. "Stefan's ringing the bell again. It's your turn."

Damon groaned and tried to turn back into his pillow. "No," he said. "I'm not going again; it was your idea to get him that stupid bell anyway. You go. Or better yet, how about we ignore him and continue what we started last night?" He eyed her insinuatingly.

Selina grabbed one of her pillows and hit him with it. "Go please," she said. "Or tonight, you're sleeping on the couch, mister."

Damon sat up. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding."

Selina frowned. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

He stared at her for a little while longer, then groaned again and got out of bed, just as the bell rang again. "God," he said, mostly to himself. "I guess it's right what they say: when you have a kid to take care of or someone who acts childishly, your sex life is the first thing to go. I'm so glad we dodged that bullet."

Selina breathed in sharply. "Oh, really?" She said. "Did we dodge it? I seem to remember that I was in labor with Joshua for a good twelve hours before Doctor Stensrund brought him into this world; but you wouldn't remember that, would you? No, because you weren't there. So maybe you _did_ dodge it in a way, but I would hope that you wouldn't have wanted to if the chance had presented itself." She looked at him pointedly.

Damon stated at her. "I don't believe you, bringing that up. Who the hell taught you to do that?"

"Stella," Selina said simply. "She uses it on her husband all the time when he's reluctant to do stuff. I learned from the master. So, do you want to go tend to Stefan, or do you want to hear some more out of me? Because I've got more."

Damon began backing out of the room. "I'll go," he said. "If you'll just shut up about Joshua."

As soon as he'd closed the door behind him, Selina said to herself, "Stella was right: that _does_ work incredibly well."

Damon reached Stefan's room and opened the door without bothering to knock. "If you ring that damn bell one more time, I'm going to sever your hand from your wrist and take the bell away."

Stefan sat up. "Selina told me she doesn't want me walking around yet; how else am I supposed to get your attention?"

Damon rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed. "Just because Selina says something, that doesn't mean you have to listen."

"Oh, really?" Stefan's lip curled. "Then how come you're in here and she's not? What did she say to get you to come?"

"It doesn't matter what she said," Damon told him curtly. "Now, what did you ring for? I'm not going to help dress you if that's what you need."

"I just need a little help getting out of bed," Stefan said. "I can do the other stuff on my own."

Nodding, Damon took Stefan's arm and helped him out of bed, then put a supporting hand on his back to get him over to the dresser. Just then, there was a sound at the door. They looked up to see Selina standing with her hand on the doorframe. "That's sweet," she said, eyeing them. "How are you doing, Stefan? Any better today?"

Stefan nodded. "As I've told you several times, Selina, I'm fine; I appreciate what you're doing and all, but it's not necessary."

"How about besides physically?" Selina asked. "I'm going over to Stella's today. Would you like to come with me and see Elena?"

Stefan paused. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet," he said.

Selina nodded. "When you are, just tell me and we'll go. Do you want me to make you anything?" She asked.

"Thanks," Stefan said. "Maybe in a little while."

"All right," Selina left the room and Stefan turned back to Damon. "She's really feeling bad, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I've tried to explain to her several times that since she was possessed by Klaus when you got beat up, it's technically not her fault, but she's not buying it." He paused. "Hey, since Selina's going to be gone, you want to use the opportunity to go downstairs and walk around a little?"

Stefan nodded. "Yes, please."

After Stefan dressed, Damon went downstairs and found Selina in the kitchen, frying eggs. "Are you making those for you?" He asked her.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "Can I trust you to watch Stefan while I go out and about today?"

"Of course," Damon said, putting his arms around her waist and his chin on her shoulder. "And you can drop the Florence Nightingale routine. Stefan's fine now."

Selina popped some bread in the toaster. "I'll believe that when you _aren't _putting a supportive hand on his back as he walks to his dresser. Could you hand me the peanut butter, please? It's on the third shelf up of the cabinet next to the refrigerator."

Damon took the peanut butter out and plunked it down on the counter beside her. She grabbed a knife out of the silverware drawer, and when the toast was done, she began slathering peanut butter liberally over it. After she put the jar away, she took a bite and gazed at him. "What do you think we should do now?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked, taking her other piece of toast.

"You know what I mean," she said. "I was just possessed by Klaus so that he could try and get his hands on Elena. I have no doubt he's going to try another tactic since the first one didn't work. I just wish there was a way for us to figure out what he's going to do and then try and prevent it from happening."

"I thought you said you were going over to Stella's," Damon said. "Aren't they tracking him or something?"

Selina took another bite of toast and thought a moment. "I don't know," she said. "They might be. Elijah's probably had them all on hyper-alert since Tommy came back. What did you do with him, anyway?"

Damon grimaced. "Believe me, you're happier not knowing."

Selina's face fell and she threw her half-eaten toast into the disposal. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" She asked quietly

"Let's see," Damon said. "Did I take part in the destruction of the guy who kidnapped me and tried to alienate me from my wife so he could have her for himself? Yes, as a matter of fact, I did."

Selina frowned. "Well that's really nice."

"Oh, come on," Damon said. "He's not completely blameless. He deserved everything he got."

"He was helpful in the end," Selina said.

Damon just looked at her. "If it comforts you to keep on those rose-colored glasses, I won't push the issue. But I suggest you go over to Stella's and find out what they want us to do next."

Selina nodded. "I'll go get dressed. Where did you put your car keys?"

"On the dresser," he said. "And I had another key made just for you so you don't have to keep borrowing mine."

* * *

Selina headed to the bathroom, showered, dressed, and then drove over to the hideout. "Hey," she said when Rose opened the door. "How's Elena doing today?"

"Much better," Rose said. "We didn't even have to restrain her this morning. You can go up and see her if you like."

Selina headed upstairs, finding Elena on her bed, staring out the window. "Hey," she said. "Are you doing all right? It sounds like you're improving."

Elena turned and sighed. "I'm better than I was, I guess. How's Stefan?"

"I think I'm starting to irritate him with my constant attention," Selina said, sitting next to her. "But I can't help it, though; I just feel so bad about what I did to him."

"You didn't do it," Elena said. "Klaus possessed you. You had no control over your body."

"That's what Damon's been telling me," Selina said. "The one good thing about this is that they're bonding. They've both decided that I've become irritating and the only way to deal with me is to do two against one."

"And how well is that going for them?" Elena asked.

"Not as well as they'd like," Selina said, smiling. Just then, there was a knock at Elena's bedroom door and Andria entered. "Good thing you're here," she said, looking at Selina. "Mama and Elijah want to see you downstairs."

"All right," Selina said, pulling herself up from Elena's bed and following Andria out the door.

They found Stella and Elijah in the library, poring over some old, thick books. "What are you looking at?" Selina asked. "Or is it a secret?"

"No," Elijah said, stepping away. "Of course you can look." Selina came over and peered at the page he'd been looking at. "What's this all about?" She asked.

"This is actually a magic text," Stella said. "It was written in the early sixteenth century and it details the beliefs and practices of a particular pagan sect that lived in the British Isles around that point in time and includes several of their spells."

"You mean this is about the druids?" Selina asked.

"No," Andria shook her head. "The druids were around _much_ earlier than the sixteenth century." She sat down beside her mother and gently began pulling pages apart, squinting to try and read them. Finally, she looked up at the others. "This is interesting," she said. "It says that this particular bunch of magic makers was a force to be reckoned with until a group of vampires appeared and spirited their leader away. He was the one who controlled the magic for the entire group and once he was gone, the rest didn't know what to do with themselves, which led to their downfall."

"What do you mean 'he controlled the magic for the entire group'?" Selina asked. "Was he the only one with powers?"

"No," Andria said. "They all had powers. But their leader found out ahead of time that the vampires would be coming for him and to prevent the tribe from being enslaved, enacted a spell that took everyone's powers away, thus rendering them useless to the vampires who would have captured them."

"Fat lot of good that did if they all died from starvation or whatever afterwards because they didn't know how to take care of themselves without magic," Selina said.

Andria nodded. "That is what is known as a cruel irony."

"What else does it say about the leader?" Selina asked. "Did the vampires kill him? What did they want with him anyway?"

"What else?" Andria asked. "Since he was so powerful, they figured he would be able to help with the doppelganger curse." She continued reading. "It says he got away at one point," she said. "He got away and managed to make it back home, but the vampires found him again and just ended up killing the rest of the tribe that was still alive, including several members of the leader's own family."

Selina sucked in a breath. "That's terrible."

"It is," Andria said. "After reading about all he went through, I almost don't blame Alistair for wanting to get Katerina Petrova out of harm's way."

Selina's eyes widened. "You aren't serious," she said. "Alistair as the exalted long-lost leader of a whole bunch of neo-druids? Do you know what this means?"

"Yes," Stella said. "It means that it should be easy to get him on our side." She looked at Selina. "When you met up with him, did he seem resentful about having to do Klaus' errands, or was he all right with it?"

Selina shrugged. "Sometimes he seemed okay with it, but at other times, you could tell that he just wanted to die. Klaus and the other Originals made him put a spell on himself so that he would live forever. Probably as punishment for saving Katherine."

"I don't doubt that," Stella said.

"So the next plan of action is to try and butter up Alistair and get him to side with us?" Selina said. "Are we going to offer to kill him in the end if he helps us?"

"I think that would be a good start," Elijah said. He eyed Selina. "And as for you, what do you think we should do with you?"

Selina frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Didn't Klaus just possess you and get you to try and bring Elena to him?" Stella asked, her eyebrow arching upward. "Isn't that the whole reason you and Junior turned Elena in the first place?"

"Well yeah," Selina nodded. "But I don't know what we can do for _me_. It's not like we can get inside Klaus' head and know every move he's going to make before he makes it."

"So you want us to just let stuff happen to you?" Elijah asked.

Selina shook her head. "Of course not."

"All right," Elijah nodded. "I have a plan."

"What is it?" Selina asked, perusing the book on the table. "You aren't going to hide me away in a tower or something, are you?"

"No," Elijah shook his head. "That wouldn't do any good. I want you to take Elena back to the boardinghouse with you."

"Is that wise?" Selina asked. "Is she stable enough yet?"

"I think so," Andria said. "She's at a point where nothing she does will be difficult for you and the others to handle."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Take Elena back to the boardinghouse with me. What else?"

"When you get there, wait an hour. Then there will be a knock on the front door. Make sure you and no one else answers it. Then you'll hear the next part of the plan."

"All right," Selina said. "I'll go get Elena." Andria followed her. "And I'll drive the two of you back. I assume you want to sit with her in the car?"

"Sure," Selina nodded. "That was an awfully mysterious set of directions that Elijah gave us," she said as they were walking away from the library.

"Don't get too excited," Andria told her. "He has no idea what to do yet; he's just trying to buy time."

* * *

They found Elena, who'd been given a ring to keep her safe in the sun a day or so after she'd arrived at Stella's, and the three of them got into Selina's car and began making their way back to the boardinghouse. Andria liked having the radio on in the car, so she put it on the classical music channel. That day, they were doing something a bit unconventional: they were playing instrumental versions of fifties doo-wop songs. After a version of "Blue Moon," "Earth Angel" began to play. In the backseat, Selina began to stiffen. She reached out and grabbed Elena's throat with one hand and began rooting around for the seatbelt button with the other.

Elena leaned forward and bit, causing Selina to shriek and pull away. "What the hell is going on back there?" Andria said."Turn the radio off," Elena sputtered. "The song that's playing right now is Selina's trigger signal to attack me!"

Andria's driving became erratic as she tried to keep her eyes on the road and turn the radio off at the same time. But it wouldn't turn off. Meanwhile, Selina's attention was back on her goal, but now she was taking a different approach: she undid her seatbelt and attempted to climb into the front seat and take hold of the wheel. Andria managed to elbow her away for a little while, but she just kept coming back.

"We're going to crash," Elena said.

"No we're not," Andria said, letting go of the wheel and grabbing a hissing, flailing Selina by the shoulders. "Get the car door open, Elena. Getting Selina out is the only way we won't all be killed.

"Seriously?" Elena asked. "Are you suggesting that we just dump her on the side of the road?"

"Yes," Andria said. "Once she's come back to herself, she'll find her way back."

Reluctantly, Elena opened the door of the car, and Andria shoved Selina out. They both winced as Selina screamed, and shuddered at the cracking sound her skull made when it hit the pavement. Without waiting for her to get back up, Elena shut the car door and they drove away, leaving Selina unconscious and bleeding on the side of the road.


	45. I Will Follow Him

"I have news," Alistair said as he strode into Klaus' study. "And it's good news."

Klaus turned. "Really?" He asked. "Did Selina finally manage to get hold of Elena for us? Are they going to be coming soon? I hope so. I don't like being here in this town. It's very small, isn't it? Not to mention dull."

"Actually," Alistair said, sitting down on the other side of the desk, "Selina failed again. Elena Gilbert got away."

Klaus frowned. "I thought you said you had _good_ news for me. If the girl is so incompetent, let's just kill her now and go after Elena ourselves."

"If you don't mind my saying so," Alistair said, "I _don't_ think it would be a wise idea to go after Elena Gilbert on our own; she has _far_ too many people protecting her. Including Elijah; Selina managed to get him on her side."

Klaus' eyes widened. "Elijah? He's here too?"

"Of course," Alistair said, nodding as he got up to pace around the room. "How do you think Tommy got himself killed?"

Klaus scoffed. "Tommy's problem was that he loved Selina too much; I knew he was going to get himself killed sooner or later. Now, tell me what the good news is."

"Well," Alistair said, "You remember how you told me to set up that trigger spell? Well, after I did that, I did _another _spell that connects Selina and me. I can see everything she sees, feel everything she feels. And right now, we have an opportunity."

Klaus leaned forward. "What kind of an opportunity?" He asked.

"Well, I think the reason why the trigger spell failed is that we didn't put any thought into it," Alistair said. "It was just Selina hears song. Song makes Selina attack Elena and get hold of her to carry her off. It was all action. And since it was all action, it was easy to stop, and that's just what Elena did the second time; she and Andria threw Selina out of their car after they couldn't get the radio off, and now Selina's lying badly wounded on the side of the road."

"Wounded how?" Klaus asked.

"Head trauma," Alistair said simply. "Probably severe enough for at least partial if not complete memory loss. Now we can correct what went wrong the first time: instead of ambushing Elena, we can use Selina's memory loss as a way to get her to work for _us_. She's probably at the hospital by now; we can go there, you can compel the doctors so that they believe you're her husband and then we take her home with us and convince her that Elena is evil and needs to be destroyed. Since she isn't going to know who Elena is, she won't object. She'll just agree."

"That's assuming she has the memory loss in the first place," Klaus said. "If she does, this could be quite the clever plan. What are you seeing now?"

Alistair shut his eyes. "They have her at the hospital now; the doctors are talking to police officers about calling her husband to come get her."

Klaus stood up. "Well, let's not waste any time. Since she has a husband and people who would come looking for her, we need to head them off.

* * *

Doctor Carne entered Selina's room and sat next to her on the bed. "Don't worry, Miss Warren," he told her. "We've called someone to pick you up; your husband is out of town on some errand, but Tyler and Caroline said they would come."

"And who are Tyler and Caroline?" Selina asked. "Are they coming soon?"

He cleared his throat. "Tyler is your cousin and Caroline is his wife. You can go with them, stay at their house for little while, and everything should come back to you. But they won't be coming until tomorrow. Since you hit your head, I want to keep you overnight for observation."

Selina lay back on her pillows. "All right," she said. "I suppose it would be all right to postpone my search for identity another day."

Doctor Carne patted her foot under the blanket. "You'll be all right," he said. He left the room and Selina frowned. She was bored. She reached out for the remote on the table next to her bed. Gazing at her roommate, who was asleep and snoring loudly in the bed next to her, she pressed one of the buttons. The top part of the bed went up. He opened his eyes and screamed. Maneuvering the remote so she could get a better grip on it, she pulled at one of the nearby cords, which resulted in an alarm going off. She quickly put the remote down on the bedside table and tucked herself back in.

"What's going on in here?" A nurse asked as she strode in.

"I don't know," Selina said, putting her hands over her ears. "His thing just started beeping. Turn it off, would you? It's making my head hurt."

The nurse turned off the machine and the room became silent. The nurse fixed up the other man and left. Selina sat in bed, flipping through magazines. When she heard the knock on the door, she put the magazine down and looked up. It was doctor Carne. Behind him were two other men. Doctor Carne's face was blank and his eyes were glassy. He came up next to her bed. The two other men followed. "I have news for you," he said. "I know I said I was going to keep you for the night, but realize now that that's not necessary. Your husband has arrived and you can go home with him."

Selina looked with interest at the two men standing behind Doctor Carne. "So," she said, "which one of you did I marry?"

"Me," said the taller one, striding forward, "Lord Niklaus von Richter. But everyone calls me Klaus." He took her hand and kissed it. "I've missed you.

She looked into his blue eyes and smiled. "I hate to have to tell you that I haven't missed you, but that's just because I've had an accident and lost my memory. If I would have known, I would have been _sure_ to miss you. I don't think I'd be able to forget being with a man like you on my own." She looked at the other man. "And who's that?"

"Oh," Klaus said. "He's my manservant."

"Alistair Fale, Miss," Alistair said, inclining his head.

"Ah," Selina nodded. "It would make sense that you have a manservant, since you're a lord and everything. Now, this may seem like a silly question to you, but could you tell me who _I _am? The doctor kept calling me Miss Warren."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "It figures they would," he said. "That's the name you use when you—" he paused, looking back at Alistair. "What term am I looking for? What do you call it when a person of wealth and station decides to go traipsing among the common folk and pretend they're poor too?"

Alistair thought a moment. "I believe they call it 'going slumming' today, sir."

"Right," Klaus said, turning back to Selina. "Warren is the name you use when you go slumming. Selina Warren. Your real name is Solana Salazar de Pena."

Selina frowned. "I'm Spanish? I don't _feel _Spanish. That seems wrong."

Klaus nodded. "Well, admittedly, you haven't lived in Spain for hundreds of years, but that's where you were born. Your father was a high-ranking nobleman who ran afoul of Torquemada and the latter eventually turned his amorous eyes toward you. When you rejected him, he wanted to have you killed."

Selina's eyes widened. "That sounds dreadful. Did you save me?"

"I did," Klaus said. "He owed me for a debt incurred several years before, so I called in the favor and he spared your life. Later, when I proposed marriage, you were kind enough to accept me."

"Wait," Selina said. "The Spanish Inquisition was several hundreds of years ago. How could I have been alive to go through it?"

"There's something about you," Klaus said. "A little secret; come into the bathroom and let me show you." He held out his hand. Selina eyed him for a moment and then took it and let him lead her into the bathroom. She stood in front of the bathroom mirror with him standing behind her. She'd healed from her wounds so her skin was now unmarked. Slowly, Klaus pulled Selina's hair away from her neck. "Alistair," he called, "Would you come in here a moment, please?"

"Of course," Alistair said, appearing a moment later. "What do you need?"

Klaus cleared his throat. "My wife would like to know how it is that she could have lived through the Spanish inquisition and still be around today."

Alistair smiled. "Well, I'll show you." He removed a small knife from the pocket of his coat and quickly slashed through his palm. As the blood welled up, Selina felt a strange change in her body. She looked in the mirror and gasped. "My teeth," she whispered after a moment. "My teeth and my eyes…I'm a-"

"—vampire," Klaus finished for her.

Selina turned away from the mirror. "How did this happen?"

He took her by the shoulders. "You were ill," he said. "Just barely alive. When your nurse told me you didn't have much longer to live, it was the only way I could think of to save you."

She gasped. "You mean, you're one too?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I've been one for much longer than you'd believe. So, are you ready to go home?"

"I guess so," Selina said. She left the bathroom and gestured out the door. "Lead the way."

* * *

Damon and Elena were watching TV when they heard the knock at the front door. "Could you pause it?" Elena asked. "I'll go get the door."

She returned to the living room, followed by Tyler and Caroline. "What brings you here?" Damon asked.

"We just wanted to see if Selina was all right," Tyler said. "Doctor Carne wanted us to come pick her up from the hospital this morning, but when we got there, one of the receptionists said you'd already done it."

Damon frowned. "I didn't do it. He called me when Stefan, Elena and I were in West Virginia with some friends of Andria's looking up stuff about a group of Wiccans who practiced in England in the sixteenth century. I told him I was out of town and he told me he'd find someone else to pick her up and watch her until we got back."

Caroline nodded. "And we're the ones he called. But he said he wanted to keep her overnight for observation in case she had a concussion or something, so we went to get her this morning and the receptionist we talked to said that Miss Warren's husband had already come, picked her up, and taken her home."

"Well, all I can say is that it wasn't me who came and got her," Damon said.

"Maybe we should go to the hospital and talk to the receptionist," Elena said. "They might be able to help us figure out just who _did_ take Selina home with them.

"All right," Damon nodded. He stood up. "Let's go."

"I can't believe you aren't more worried about this," Elena said to him. "I would have thought you'd be on edge by now."

"There's not necessarily a reason to worry yet," Damon said. "There are a lot of people in this town who know her and any one of them could have heard that she had been in an accident, was in need of a ride home, and given one to her without knowing that you were supposed to pick her up today."

When they got to the hospital, they quickly located the receptionist who'd seen Selina leave. "Who did Miss Warren leave with?" Tyler asked her. "Do you remember?"

"He said he was her husband," the receptionist said. "I thought he was a bit strange, though. Much more refined then most of the people around here; he also had an air of superiority in him, like he knew everything and had been through everything."

They all looked at one another for a moment before Caroline said "And what did he _look_ like?"

"Blue eyes," the receptionist said. "Really arresting blue eyes; he had a gaze that could just grab hold of you and keep you still. It chilled me to the bone. Blond hair, a bit scruffy, tall, muscular, well-built."

"Was he wearing a ring?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," The receptionist nodded. "A really big, ornate number with a giant ruby in the setting. I asked him if I could have a look at it, my husband's a jeweler, you see, but when I reached out to touch it, he hissed at me and swiped at my face. What?" She looked around at their startled faces.

"Nothing," Damon said. "You've been very helpful, thank you." The four of them dashed out of the hospital and back to Damon's car. Then they drove straight to the hideout.

* * *

"I could kill you, you know," Damon said as he burst into the study. Andria and her parents looked up at him from the book they were all studying.

"Kill whom?" Stella asked.

"Your daughter," Damon said, his voice shaking with rage. "Ask her what she did to Selina after they left here with Elena."

Her parents looked at her. "What did you do?" her father asked.

"Well," Andria stood up. "We were driving back to the boardinghouse like Elijah told us, and then Selina started having some sort of freak out and tried to kill Elena. And then Elena said that the song playing on the radio was some sort of trigger from Klaus, so I was trying to turn off the radio because I thought that would get Selina back to normal, but then the radio wouldn't turn off. And I _thought_ about turning the car off, but have you ever tried doing anything behind the wheel when you've got someone trying to kill someone else in the backseat? It's very distracting. So finally, we just decided to get her out of the car."

"Get her out of the car?" Stella asked.

"Yeah," Elena said. "We managed to get the car door open, and then we shoved Selina out onto the road. It knocked her out. Then we drove off once her head hit the pavement."

"And you just left her there, on the side of the road, when you know perfectly well that Klaus is out to get her?" Stella asked. "How foolish can you be?"

"_I'm_ the one who's in danger from Klaus," Elena said.

"You are," Elijah said, entering the room, "but he won't try and come after you on his own. I have a hunch that he and Alistair are aware of my presence. That's why he wants Selina to get you for him. It lessens the amount of work he has to do and makes the whole venture less risky. Now, what were we talking about?"

"We were talking," Damon said, "About how Klaus came to the hospital to pick Selina up after her accident. He compelled everyone to believe that he was her husband."

"And being shoved out of a moving car onto the pavement probably caused her to have some memory loss, didn't it?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, that seemed to be the diagnosis at the hospital," Caroline said.

"So," Elijah said, "to synopsize, we have Selina, carelessly tossed from the back of a moving vehicle and slammed, unconscious and bleeding onto the road. Eventually, she gets picked up and taken to the hospital. The doctors diagnose her with amnesia. Somehow, Klaus finds out about her condition and goes to the hospital, compelling the nurses and doctors so that they'll let him take her away. He then goes to Selina's room and, knowing that she has amnesia, tells her some ridiculous story about how he's her husband so she'll go home with him. Wonderful."

"Do you think Klaus is going to kill her?" Andria asked. "How much trouble am I in?"

Elijah turned. "He's not going to think about killing her; not until she's done what he wants her do: get Elena for the sacrifice. So she's going to be all right for awhile." He laughed a little. "Although this was an unfortunate turn of events, it actually has its upside," he said.

"What upside could there possibly be?" Damon asked.

"Well," Elijah said, "If Klaus has Selina and he knows I'm here trying to protect her, he won't be able to resist bragging a little. We just have to wait for that moment, and then once we know where he is, we can go find him and destroy him. No one else will have to die other than Klaus." He looked at Andria. "You're lucky," he said. "Very, very lucky."

"I know," she said quietly as he turned and left the room. Stella and her husband shut the books and followed him. Caroline and Tyler headed back to their car, leaving Andria and Damon alone. "Were you serious when you said you wanted to kill me?" She asked.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"What's stopping you?" Andria asked. "Is it the fact that I'm older than you? Stronger than you?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "It's that you look like Selina. No other reason than that."


	46. Toxic

Alistair opened the door and Selina stepped inside with Klaus following. "Welcome to your new home, my darling," he said. Selina looked around. "I like it. It seems vaguely familiar to me."

"Is that so?" Klaus asked. "I wonder why that would be."

Selina shrugged. "I have no idea. "So, are we going home soon? And where _is_ home, by the way?"

"Germany somewhere, isn't it?" Alistair asked.

"We move around a lot," Klaus said.

"Oh," Selina replied, and went over to sit on one of the sofas in the living room. She looked at the pictures on the mantel and then looked back at Alistair. "Do you know who it is in those pictures?" She asked, pointing. The photos showed a dark-haired young man in a soldier's uniform looking proudly at the camera. Alistair walked over and peered at them.

"No," he said. "Why?"

Selina shrugged. "I don't know. I just have to wonder why somebody would move away and leave pictures of a guy who looked like _that_ behind."

Klaus put a firm hand on Selina's shoulder that caused her to wince. "It doesn't really matter, does it?" He said. "To answer your question, we will be leaving shortly. There's just one more thing I need to take care of beforehand." He took his hand off her shoulder and came around to peer at her. "And _you_ are going to help me."

"What is it?" Selina asked. "What do you need me to do?"

"Well," He sat down next to her and took her hand. "There's a girl here in town. Her name is Elena Gilbert. She has within her the ability to end the vampire curse. But first we have to kill her. We have to let her blood run. That's where you come in. Apparently, while you were slumming here, you befriended her, but she went behind your back and betrayed you."

"She did?" Selina asked. "Why would she do that?"

"Because she's afraid to die, and selfish just like everyone else," Alistair said. "She heard a rumor that _your _blood could be used to end the vampire curse and tried to throw you to the wolves to spare her own life."

"But that's because she didn't know about your connection to me," Klaus said. "She didn't know that I would _never_ hurt you."

"So let me get this straight," Selina said, releasing her hand from Klaus'. "If we find this Elena Gilbert and I bring her to you, then the vampire curse will end and I'll get vengeance on her for betraying me at the same time?"

"Yes," Alistair said. "That about sums it up."

Selina's eyes lit up. "Wonderful," she said. "Just tell me where to find this Elena Gilbert and I'll bring her straight here!" She headed for the door, but Klaus jumped up, strode over to her, and put a restraining hand on her arm. "Not yet," he said. "I don't think you're quite ready to go after her. We have to train you first."

Selina frowned and stepped away from the door. "Train me?" She asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's perfectly reasonable," Alistair said. "When you were slumming and friends with her, you had this persona of Selina Warren and this completely separate life story. Do you remember any of it now?"

Selina shut her eyes and tried to think. "No," she said after a moment. "I don't think I do."

"Exactly," Alistair nodded. "We need to reacquaint you with who you were so you can draw Elena in and make her trust you. If you just went barging in and tried to take her and bring her back here, do you think it would work?"

Selina shook her head. "Now that you mention it Alistair, you _do_ have a point. If we were friends before, and then I go off and come back not knowing anything about my life and then try to attack her, she'll probably think I'm acting pretty strange and be hesitant to do anything with me."

"Well," Alistair sighed. "She might make some allowances for you not knowing much about your life; everyone who's anyone knows that you had an accident and hit your head. And an accident where a person sustains the amount of damage to their head that you did is bound to cause _some_ memory loss."

"So how do I become Selina Warren again?" Selina asked.

Alistair stood up. "Well, the good news is, that's easy. In this town, the Warrens have been around for _years_. And I know for a fact that there's a historical society around here somewhere. They probably have files about you that I can pick up for you to look at and reacquaint yourself with your other life story."

Selina grinned. "That's excellent," she said. "Could you leave and get the files now?"

Alistair nodded. "Of course," he said. "What else would I have to do?"

Selina and Klaus watched him go. Then, Selina turned to face Klaus. "So," she said, "What do you want to do while he gets the files?"

Klaus studied her. "Knowing your 'life history' isn't the only thing we need to work on," he said. "Stand up."

She stood up. He looked at her and winced. She was wearing jeans with holes in the knees, a washed out yellow shirt, and a gray zip-up hoodie. "Is that what you were wearing when you hurt yourself?" He asked her.

She looked down at herself. "I guess so. Why? What's wrong with it?"

"There are so many things, I wouldn't know where to begin," he said. "Henceforth, you are no longer allowed to wear anything like this ever again. We're going to get you some new clothes. Nice ones." He began circling her. "You don't suppose there's something else in this house you could put on for now, do you? If I have to look at that ensemble of yours for one more minute, I might just gouge out my eyes."

"Fine," Selina said. "I'll go check the closets, but from the looks of things, this place hasn't had many long term occupants for quite awhile, so don't be surprised if I come back empty handed." She left him and went upstairs. There were closets in every one of the many upstairs bedrooms, and to her surprise, each one of them was overflowing with dresses of a rainbow of colors from every possible decade she could imagine. She finally chose an ivory, knee-length cocktail dress, put it on, and went back downstairs. "How do I look?" She asked. "Better?"

Klaus nodded. "Much better," he said, gazing at her appreciatively. "Where did you find that?"

Selina tilted her head toward the staircase. "The closets in the bedrooms upstairs are full of clothes. Yet another strange thing about this house; first, someone abandons their pictures, and then they leave their clothes behind."

"Well," Klaus said impatiently, "Whatever the reasoning behind it was, it serves our purposes well. Now that you're properly clothed, we'll wait for Alistair to return with the files."

Selina put her hands on her hips. "Is that really all you want to do?" She asked. "You and I have been separated for who knows how long and all you want to do now that we have some time alone is sit here?"

Klaus nodded. "Dearest, there's a time and a place for everything. There's too much at stake for me to be distracted now."

"Fine," Selina rolled her eyes and sat down. "I get dressed up nice and now all you want me to do is sit here. I don't believe this." She grabbed a pillow off the couch and hugged it to her chest, then glanced at him hopefully. When he didn't acknowledge her anymore, she threw the pillow down on the floor. "I'm going to go upstairs," she announced. "I want to have another look at everything that's in the closets. Let me know when Alistair gets back, would you?"

He said nothing. She rolled her eyes and stomped up the stairs, leaving Klaus alone in the living room.

* * *

"So I see you're down here alone," Alistair said when he arrived back at the house awhile later. "Where's Selina?"

"Upstairs," Klaus said. "Looking at all the clothes in the closets. That's good because it will save us having to go out and buy her any."

"Do you think it's still too early for you to be out in the open?" Alistair asked, putting the boxes he was carrying down on the coffee table.

"We've discussed this," Klaus said. "I won't be doing anything until Selina brings Elena to us. Especially with Elijah aware of our presence, bringing myself out into the open before we have a proper tool to bargain with would be a deadly error."

"Whatever you think is best," Alistair said. "Should I go upstairs and let Selina know that I've returned?"

"Yes," Klaus said. "I'll just have a look at what's in these boxes while you get her."

When Alistair returned with Selina, they found Klaus with a pile of papers on his lap. "I see you've begun looking into my past," Selina said dryly. "My false past, I mean." She sat on the couch cushion next to him. "Did you find anything interesting?"

"Well," Klaus told her, "you have a connection with this house."

"Really?" Selina leaned in. "And what connection do I have?"

Klaus pulled a pile of papers to himself and pulled a few out of the middle. "Read that," he said.

Selina looked it over. "The Lady in Red," she said. "How interesting. _The house was large and white, with green shutters and columns flanking either side of the front door. Above the front doors was the attic window. Instead of shutters, that window was hung with white lace curtains which swayed back and forth, even when there was no breeze. Despite the fact that it had been empty for 145 years, it was in near pristine condition. It was the kind of house that people avoided walking past at night; the kind of house that children dared each other to visit on Halloween. And of course it had a ghost._

_They called her the Lady in Red and she was seen in the attic window. She supposedly was the fiancée of one of the soldiers who had served Mystic Falls during the Civil War. Not much else was known about her except that her initials were S.W.S. She was connected in some way to the doctor who had owned the house. Some people said she was his wife by choice. Others said that she had unwillingly become his lover. The most common version of the story was that she'd gotten engaged to the soldier before he shipped out, and then once he was gone had caught a fever. The doctor told her mother that he might be able to save her, but only if he could take her to his house. He did so and she was cured. She was so grateful to him that when he proposed, heedless of the fact that she was already engaged to the soldier, she and the doctor eloped, and were never seen or heard from again._

_But there was another group who didn't see the Lady in Red as a villain. Instead of running off with the doctor, they believe that after she was cured of her fever, she rejected his proposal. Stung, he raped her, murdered her, and buried her heart somewhere on his property. That's why, they say, she stares out the attic window, and why there are holes in the front yard. She's looking for her heart, so she can be with her soldier as they couldn't be in life. _

_The doctor's dealings with the Lady in Red weren't his only shifty activities. When he first arrived in town, he had a large amount of money. People whispered that he was a doctor by day and a bank robber by night. And that he'd hidden his ill-gotten loot. And to this day, people still come to the house, thinking that they will be the one to find the supposedly lost treasure of Dr. Roger Stensrund, alias Bloody Roger." _She paused and looked up at him. "So it's a good story. What does it have to do with me?"

"I believe that _you_ are S.W.S.," Alistair said. "And that the house we're in now is the house of Roger Stensrund. It looks exactly the same as the one described in the story."

Selina put the papers down on the floor in front of her. "It doesn't make any sense," she said. She looked at Klaus. "What do you think about that?" She asked. "If I've been married to you all this time, why would I accept an engagement token from someone else? Especially a mere mortal?"

"Boredom leads people to do strange things," he said. "I don't blame you. I myself took several lovers during our separation to help ease the pain. It would seem that that's what this soldier did for you."

"But it doesn't seem like he had much of a chance," Selina said. "Since he went off to war and died."

"And that's why you took up with this Roger Stensrund, although in appearance he was several years older than you. Once you found out your soldier was dead, you moved on," Alistair said.

"And would it be my vampirism that made people think they saw me for years after I was supposed to be dead?" Selina asked.

"That would be my guess," Alistair told her, taking the papers and flipping through them. "I wonder if he's still around. I wouldn't mind asking him a few questions about this story."

"Doctor Stensrund?" Selina asked. "You can't; I killed him."

Klaus and Alistair looked up at her in surprise. "What do you mean 'I killed him'?"

"I did," Selina said. "At least I think. It was a full moon; everything was confused. I didn't know what was real and what wasn't."

Klaus stood up and came to stand behind her, putting his arms around her and his lips close to her neck. "And just _what_ does a full moon have to do with anything?"

Selina pulled back a little. "I have no idea," she said. "It was just a thought; I can't elaborate, I'm sorry. So, based on what we've read so far, during the Civil War, I was engaged to someone in this town. He left to fight and was killed. Then, I took up with Doctor Stensrund and killed him, possibly in this house."

"Apparently so," Alistair nodded.

"Do you think that's enough to go on for now?" Selina asked. "Maybe if I go out amongst the people, they'll be able to tell me more about this identity I created for myself. And maybe in the process, I'll run into Elena Gilbert."

Klaus nodded. "And remember, the most important thing is that you make her trust you. That means, that despite the wrongs she committed against you, you must be her friend. Be kind to her. Once she trusts you, it'll be easy to bring her here and dispatch her without any trouble."

"All right," Selina nodded resolutely. "I'll go befriend the snake who tried to destroy my life. It's a small price to pay I guess, to see her decimated in the end." She headed for the door, and just as she got it open, Alistair spoke again. "Solana," he said.

She put her hand on the doorframe and turned. "Yes?"

"There's a possibility that your soldier could be a vampire; I've heard rumors that there is an inordinately high concentration of vampires in this town. If you come across him, don't resist your feelings. That could create suspicion."

"So you're asking me to be unfaithful," Selina said.

"It's for a good cause," Alistair said. "And it's not like you'll mean any of it."

"Good point," Selina said. "Now, I'll be on my way if you gentlemen don't mind; the sooner I find this Elena Gilbert and we kill her, the sooner we can get out of this wasteland of a town." She slammed the door behind her. Once she was gone, Klaus and Alistair looked at one another.

"You know," Klaus said, a slow grin creeping over his face. "I was despairing over Selina at first, but she might be a better pupil than we ever dreamed." He stood up and went to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Champagne and two glasses, filling each one nearly to the top. He brought them out and handed one to Alistair. Raising his glass, he said, "To success, and the woman who, in her ignorance, will give us exactly what we want."

* * *

Selina was walking down the street when she heard someone honk at her. Starting, she turned to see two people sitting in a car and grinning at her. "What are you doing out here?" The young man asked. His dark eyes glinted and he grinned at her. "Are you doing all right?"

"You'd better be," said the young woman sitting beside him. "Your mother's already freaked out enough about the accident. I think she'd have another coronary if she knew you were going out and about on your own so soon afterward. Can we give you a ride?"

"Sure," Selina said, coming towards the car and getting into the backseat. As the car started up again, Selina said, "Do either of you know the story of the Lady in Red?"

"Yeah," the young woman said. "It's about you. And Damon. And Doctor Stensrund. Damon's never put much stock in the story, although when I was at the house a few days ago, he _did_ tell me he was pleased your son came up with a second version to put you in a more favorable light."

"Damon?" Selina frowned. "Is he my soldier in the story? I thought he went off to war and died."

"He did go off to war," the young woman said. "But he quit a few months later when he realized he missed you too much and wanted to come home." She paused. "Oh, my gosh," she said. "You must think I'm crazy. Going on and on about all this and you probably have no idea who I am."

"No," Selina shook her head. "Not really. But I figure I must have known you before the accident, right?"

"Yeah," the girl nodded. "I'm Caroline and this," she gestured to the guy who was driving. "Is Tyler. He's my husband and your cousin."

Selina nodded thoughtfully. "That's good to know," she said.

"You know," Tyler said, eyeing her in the review mirror and shifting his hands on the wheel, "that's a really nice dress. But don't you think it's a little dressy for the middle of the day? What's wrong with a nice pair of jean shorts?"

Selina shook her head. "My husband frowns on that sort of clothing," she said. "He wanted me to wear something more fitting to my station. And after what he told me, I believe he's right."

"Damon told you to dress like that?" Caroline asked. "And you listened to him? Wow, the accident must have messed with you more than we thought."

"Not Damon," Selina shook her head. "My _real_ husband, Lord Niklaus von Richter."

Tyler laughed. "Where did you come up with a name like that?" he asked. "I've heard of weird fantasies before, but that's really out there?"

"What makes you say that?" Selina asked, glaring at him.

"It just sounds ridiculous," Tyler said. "I mean, this is America for crying out loud; we don't have lords here!"

"He happens to be German," Selina said stiffly. "He told me we have a castle in Germany, and that as soon as I help him finish some business he needs done, he's going to take me back there."

"What else did he tell you?" Tyler asked. "That you're the rightful queen of some country, but were banished by the current government because you tried to off one of them and now your faithful supporters are rising up from the underground to restore you to your throne?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "He told me and showed me that I'm a vampire, and that my father was a victim of the Spanish Inquisition. After my father's death, Torquemada tried to make me his mistress, but I refused and when Torquemada ordered my death, my husband called in a favor that kept me alive."

"Oh, God," Caroline said. "Where should we take her now? Back to Damon at the boardinghouse, or to her mother? Either one of them could probably snap her out of all this."

"Let's take her to the boardinghouse," Tyler said. "Damon will be able to get her fixed up right away. And Elena's there too. You know what good friends she and Selina are."

"Yes," Selina said immediately from the backseat. "Take me to the boardinghouse. Take me to see Elena."


	47. Killer Queen

As soon as Selina was gone, Klaus looked at Alistair. "What do you suppose she meant when she said that she wasn't sure if she killed Doctor Stensrund or not? That it was a full moon and she was confused?"

Alistair shrugged. "I don't know; the box has her whole life history in it, or most of it anyway. Keep looking. Maybe we'll find something."

Klaus caught his eye. "You know, don't you?" He said. "Why don't you just say it? Because I know it too."

Alistair stopped shuffling the papers. "You don't think she's got werewolf blood in her, do you?" He asked. "Because that's what I think she meant; she killed Doctor Stensrund during the full moon."

Klaus was nodding and grinning his mad grin. "You know what this means?" He asked Alistair.

Alistair shook his head. "No, what does it mean?"

Klaus stood up and began pacing around the room. "It means that we can't kill her after she brings us Elena."

"Why not?" Alistair asked. "If you'll pardon me for asking. She won't be useful anymore once she brings us Elena."

Klaus stopped to look at him. "That's just not true," he said. "I can think of another use for her now that we know about this little quirk of hers. After she brings us Elena, I want you to send her to me. We need to have a little chat."

"But we don't know for sure that she's got werewolf blood in her," Alistair said quickly. "It's just a theory."

"Well check it out, then!" Klaus snapped. "Make sure that Selina _is _as useful as she could be. If it's true, it could be a boon for us."

"Why is that?" Alistair asked.

"You'll know in time," Klaus told him and left the room.

* * *

"Here you are," Tyler said as he drove his car up the driveway of the boardinghouse. "Home sweet home."

"This is it?" Selina asked. "Are you sure?"

"Well, yeah," Tyler nodded. "Were you expecting something else?"

Selina sighed. "From the man I've been slumming with? I guess not." She got out of the car and began walking toward the front door. When she saw Tyler get out of the car and follow her, she stopped and turned around. "I'm going to be all right," she said. "You don't need to follow me in."

"I'm not coming with you because I think you won't be all right," Tyler said. "I just need to speak with Damon for a few minutes, all right?"

"Fine," Selina said dismissively, going up the front steps. When she reached the front door, she looked at Tyler and cleared her throat.

"What?" Tyler asked.

"Aren't you going to open this for me?" Selina asked. "Please?"

"All right," Tyler said, striding forward and grabbing the handle to turn it. "But it's really not that heavy." He pulled and the door creaked open. "See?"

Selina rolled her eyes. "I guess chivalry _is_ dead," she said and then stepped inside. Tyler followed her and shut the door behind him. "Damon?" He called out. "Elena? Anyone home? I brought Selina with me."

"Hey," Damon said, coming down the stairs. "Thanks for getting her. It saves us a trip."

"No problem," Tyler said. "Could I talk to you alone for a minute? In private?"

Damon nodded and brought Tyler to the bedroom he used when he and Selina were separated. "What's going on?"

"Selina's acting oddly," Tyler said. "I think the accident really messed with her brain. Is it possible for vampires to get amnesia?"

Damon shrugged. "I don't know; I would think they'd be able to. Is that what she's got?"

"I think she's past that," Tyler said, sitting down on the bed. "And moved on to something much stranger. I understand accidents like hers making people lose their memories, but they wouldn't make people 'remember' new life histories all together, would they?"

Damon frowned. "What did Selina tell you on the car ride over here? And where did you pick her up?"

"Why does that matter?" Tyler asked.

"Remember at the hospital when the receptionist said that another man had come in claiming to be Selina's husband and then took her home with him?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," Tyler nodded.

"Well, he's one of the oldest vampires ever," Damon said. "He wants to end the curse of being a vampire and in order to do that he needs to have Selina with him, which he does now."

"Klaus?" Tyler said. "You don't mean Lord Niklaus von Richter. That was what Selina called him in her little story. She said that the two of them were married and that he'd saved her from becoming Torquemada's mistress after her father was killed during the Spanish Inquisition."

"She didn't happen to mention anything about me, did she?"

Tyler bit his lip on a smile. "She referred to you as 'the man I've been slumming with.'"

Damon scoffed. "That's friendly."

"So," Tyler said, standing up. "Are you going to confront her now, or are you going to run to that hideout place and tell them everything?"

"I think I'll run to the hideout," Damon said. "Meanwhile, make sure Lina doesn't leave."

"Sure," Tyler called as Damon ran out the door. "It's not like I don't have anything better to do at the moment."

* * *

Damon arrived at the hideout and began pounding on the front door. "My god, Junior," Stella said when she answered the door. "What's your hurry?"

"Where's Elijah?" Damon asked as he strode inside. "I have something I need to tell him."

"He's in the library with Andria," Stella said. "What's happened?"

"I'll tell you in a minute," Damon said. He entered the library and Elena, Stella and Elijah looked up at him. "I have news," he said. "Tyler and Caroline showed up at the house with Lina in tow and they say she acted very strange on the ride over."

"How?" Elena asked.

"Well," Damon said, "for one thing, she's convinced that she and Klaus are married; or as she referred to him, Lord Niklaus von Ritcher. Klaus also told her that her father was a victim of the Spanish Inquisition and that Torquemada wanted to make her his mistress, but that _his_ gallantry saved her from death or a life of disgrace."

A slow grin spread across Elijah's face. "Lord Niklaus von Richter? Is that what he called himself? I haven't heard that in years."

"Yeah," Damon laughed humorlessly. "And she's convinced that I'm nothing more than a fling she had, or is having, I don't know which one. When she was talking to Tyler, she apparently referred to me as 'the man I've been slumming with.'"

Elena came over and put a hand on his arm. "Do you think you're going to be all right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Where is she now?" Andria asked. "Selina, I mean?"

"Back at the house," Damon said. "I wasn't sure whether I should see her first or come here with the news. I came here. Hopefully nothing's gone to hell in the mean time."

* * *

Selina stood impatiently waiting for someone to come back for her, but when no one did, she decided to take some initiative. She headed up the staircase in front of her to one of the upper floors. "Hello?" She called. "Damon? Elena? Anyone happy to see me?"

At that moment, someone else stepped out of one of the side rooms. "Selina!" he said, embracing her. "I'm so glad you got back all right."

"Thank you," Selina said. When he pulled away, she gazed at him. "And who are you?" She asked.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm Stefan, your brother-in-law."

"You mean the brother of the man I'm cheating on my husband with," Selina said. "What would make you think I'm married to your brother?"

"I don't know," Stefan said. "Maybe because you are?"

She put her hands on her hips. "No, I'm not. And I've come to break it off with your brother anyway; now that my real husband has returned for me, there's no need for me to have a childish and quaint distraction like him in my life."

Stefan froze. "What do you mean?" He asked.

Selina tossed her head back and gave a short, breathy laugh. "I think you know what I mean," she said. "Your brother was just a little bit of fun for me. I'm sorry if he thought it was real. And that he made you think it was as well."

Stefan opened his mouth to reply, but just then the front door opened. "I'm back," Damon called. "Stefan, if you run into Lina, watch what you say; she's a little out of it because of the accident…and Klaus."

"We're upstairs," Stefan called. He gazed at Selina for a moment. "If you would just listen—"

"Go away," she said curtly, cutting him off. "You're beginning to irritate me."

He strode off without another word, and Damon came up the stairs a few minutes later. Selina watched him appreciatively as he climbed. "I can see why I took up with you," she said when he reached her. "You're very handsome."

He grinned. "Your mind may be gone, but at least there's nothing wrong with your eyesight. Now about what you told Tyler in the car—"

"Don't try and talk to her about that Damon," Stefan said. "She's just going to get irritated with you."

"Is that so?" Damon asked. "Why?"

"I want to see Elena," Selina said. "Is she around?"

"No," Damon shook his head. "She's somewhere else. I don't know when she's going to be back."

"It's not a problem," Selina said, sitting down on the steps. "I shall wait until she returns."

"You do that," Damon said. "Meanwhile, I'm going to head out for a little while. You want to come too?" He called to Stefan."

Nodding, Stefan took the stairs two at a time. "Normally I would ask where we were going, but now I just want to leave."

They shut the door behind them. Once they were gone, Selina took her phone out of her purse and dialed. "Hi," she said.

"Solana," Alistair answered right away. "Have you seen Elena yet?"

"No," she said. "Damon and his brother told me that Elena's somewhere else at the moment, but don't worry; I intend to wait here until I see her."

"Good girl," Alistair said. "I have some news for you too; Klaus and I were looking through your files and we found out something very interesting about your family."

"What is it?" Selina asked.

"Were you aware that your mother's family is full of werewolves?"

"You mean my fake mother?"

"Yes, your fake mother."

"But," Selina said, "If she's my fake mother, why would it matter if there were werewolves in her family? It's not like that would make me a werewolf too if we aren't even related. But it's an amusing little anecdote, isn't it? Thank you so much for passing it on." And with that, she snapped the phone shut.

* * *

"Tell me something," Elijah said to Elena as they walked around the backyard gardens of the hideout, "How long have you known about Selina's werewolf gene?"

"Oh," Elena said, "as long as I've known her; her mother was a Lockwood, see, and they've all got the gene, and-"

"But Selina's a vampire," Elijah interrupted.

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "The full moon still makes her nutty, though. That's why she murdered Doctor Stensrund and Christian Blake, and probably others too; they got in her way during a full moon when she wasn't in her right mind."

At that, Elijah's face changed.

"What's the matter?" Elena asked.

"Klaus," Elijah said finally. "There's something you should know about him; a couple of things, actually. He's my brother and we had different fathers but the same mother. Our mother was a vampire; so was my father. But Klaus' father was a werewolf who was later killed by my father when he found out our mother had been unfaithful. It's one of the reasons why there's such a big rivalry between our two clans. Since Klaus has the blood of both vampires and werewolves coursing through him, he's tried for years to reach his true potential. But the witches prevented it. Once he gets hold of you though, and goes through with the sacrifice at the full moon, he'll be able to achieve full power."

"What does this have to do with Selina?" Elena asked.

"Well," Elijah sighed. "I originally assumed that Klaus was just going to kill Selina once she'd served her purpose and brought him the doppelganger, but I have a feeling that once he finds out about her having the gene, he's going to want to keep her around longer."

"Why?" Elena asked.

"Because he always fantasized in the early days about creating his own vampire-werewolf super-race," Elijah said. "Selina would be the perfect mate for him in that case."

"But right now he doesn't know, so we should be okay, right?"

"Of course," Elijah said. He led Elena back inside, where they found Stefan and Damon waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Elena asked. "You're back so soon. And why did you come, Stefan?"

"I had to get out of the house," Stefan said. "With the change that's come over her since Klaus got to her, I can't stand to be around Selina anymore."

"Well, how much has she changed?" Elena asked. "A lot?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "She used to be so normal, but now she's striding around the house acting like the Queen of Sheba. If I didn't know she'd been in an accident, I would swear I was talking to a completely different person."

A sudden knock at the door cut him off before he could say another word. Elena went to open it and found Selina standing on the other side. "Hi," she said.

"Hello," Selina replied. "You must be Elena. I heard that you might be here. Could I come in?"

Elena bit her lip for a minute. "Wait here," she said. "I need to go talk to somebody, but I'll be back."

"Who was at the door?" Elijah asked when Elena entered the kitchen. "It's Selina," Elena said. "She wants to come in. should I let her, since the only reason why she's here is to haul me off to Klaus?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded. "Let her in."

"Have you lost your mind?" Elena asked.

"Calm down," Elijah told her. "This house is full of people. Selina wouldn't try anything. Let's use this as an opportunity to see what we're up against, shall we?"

They headed to the front door. Elijah motioned for Elena to stand further back from the door while he addressed Selina. "Hello," he said. "Won't you come in? Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Oh, it's no problem," Selina said. "You know," she continued, "You remind me of someone."

"Probably your 'husband'" Elena said. "This is his brother."

"Well, what do you know?" Selina said. "He never mentioned he had a brother."

"We haven't talked in awhile," Elijah said. "I'm Elijah; what would you like me to call you?"

"I believe Solana's my name," Selina said. "Solana Salazar de Pena. My father was a nobleman who became a victim of the Spanish Inquisition. Afterward, Torquemada tried to make me his mistress. When I rejected his advances, your brother saved me from a horrible death. That's why I married him."

"Well," Elijah said. "Isn't that a nice story?"

"Yeah," Elena said. "Even nicer than the one where her father was a soldier in the Mexican-American War who would have died of Typhoid Fever if his vampire nurse hadn't fallen in love with him and turned him."

Selina smiled. "You've read the stories I made up when I went slumming here a hundred and forty-five years ago, haven't you?" She said brightly. "I was right when I suspected they'd gotten around. Have you read the Lady in Red story too?"

"Of course," Elena nodded. "It's the most well-known one about you."

Selina took a seat on the steps. "What about one I made up where my mother's family has werewolf blood in their line?" She asked. "When Klaus and Alistair were looking up stuff in my files, they found something that said that. Have you heard that one too?"

At the same moment, Elena and Elijah locked eyes. "He knows," Elijah said.

"What do we do next?" Elena asked.


	48. Lil' Red Riding Hood

"I think there's only one thing we can do at this point and that's tell her the truth," Elijah said. "Elena, take her somewhere and do the honors, would you?"

Selina stood up. "Truth about what?"

Elena shook her head. "I don't think I should be the one to tell her," she said. "Elijah, I think you should. She might take it better from you, seeing as you're her fake husband's brother."

"He's not my fake husband," Selina said. "He's my _real_ husband." Selina said. "He told me so himself. Why would he lie to me?"

"Because he wants to use you," Elijah said. "You really are Selina Warren; that part of your life isn't made up."

"And Damon's really your husband," Elena said. "He's not just some guy you've been slumming with. Klaus just wants you to _think_ that you and he are married so you'll help him populate the world with a race of vampire-werewolf hybrids. He doesn't really love you at all."

"Think about it Selina," Elijah said. "All the things he told you about; your courtship, your wedding, your life with him, do you remember any of it? Close your eyes and try."

Selina frowned. "All right," she said, sitting down on the stairway that led up to the second floor. "But I'm not doing this because I think you're right," she said. "Just let me make that clear. I'm only doing this to prove you two wrong." She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up images of herself and Klaus on their wedding day, but to her dismay, she realized she couldn't. She opened her eyes to find Elijah looking knowingly back at her. "You don't remember anything, do you?" He asked.

"No," Selina shook her head. "But I was in an accident, wasn't I? That can make people lose memories, can't it?"

"Not if they were never there in the first place," Elena said. "Like we've been telling you, everything you've heard from Klaus since he picked you up from the hospital is a lie. Well," she recanted, "Except for the whole your-mother's-family-is-full-of-werewolves thing. That's true."

"You mean my fake mother," Selina said. "I don't understand why Klaus and Alistair are so interested in that fact when I'm not even related to those people in the first place."

"No," Elena shook her head. "Your _real _mother, Amelia Lockwood Warren; her family has the werewolf gene in them, and as a consequence, so do you."

"Oh," Selina looked uncertain. "So I really _do_ have werewolves in my family? Well now Alistair's enthusiasm when he informed me of my mother's secret makes sense."

"So you believe us when we tell you that you're part werewolf?" Elena asked.

Selina nodded. "Of course, why would you lie about something like that?"

"And do you believe us about Klaus?" Elijah asked. "We need you to. It's so important."

Selina stood up. "I think I might go and ask him about it," she said. She headed toward the door. "But if you're lying, I _will _be back. Believe me about that." And with that, she shut the door and headed down the front steps of the hideout. She got into her car and was overcome with anger, at whom or what she wasn't really certain. It could have been either due to the knowledge that Klaus, the man who had sworn to love her forever, was keeping things from her, or due to Elijah and Elena having the gall to bring the subject up in the first place. She put her foot on the gas pedal and began driving.

All was going well until she found herself stuck behind an elderly couple who were driving at a snail's pace. After honking several times and realizing that would have absolutely no effect whatsoever, she unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of her car and shot herself forward so she was looking directly into the window of the old couple's car. She punched it out and grabbed the door handle of the tan station wagon, pulling it off its hinges. She threw herself in the car, grabbing the astonished old man by his collar and ripping out his throat. Beside him, his wife screamed and collapsed. Selina looked up, the man's blood dripping down her chin. "Oh, no," she breathed. "You aren't getting away that easy." And with that, she threw the man aside and went for the woman. Her eyes opened and she let out a barely audible moan as Selina snapped her neck. Once the woman was dead, Selina threw both the bodies in the trunk and settled herself in the driver's seat of the station wagon. She was driving along toward Doctor Stensrund's house when she passed the school. The cheerleaders were practicing and paid no attention to her as she parked her car and approached them. Finally, when she was only about three feet away from them, did they stop their routine and turn off the music.

"Well, well," said one who had bleached blond hair and green eyes. "If it isn't Selina Warren." Her eyes narrowed. "I _know_ it was you who spread the rumor about what happened between me and Rick Chiswick at Leslie Sumner's birthday party."

"I'm sure you're mistaken," Selina said. "But anyway, what if I did? What's the consequence for me? Are you going to write my name in graffiti all over the girls' bathroom?"

"No," she shook her head. "I'm going to think of something much worse. Getting in my way is committing social suicide and you _are_ going to be sorry." She looked around at her fellow cheerleaders. "Am I right, girls?" The rest of them nodded, but said nothing.

Selina just shook her head. "My," she said. "Isn't this quaint? What if I told you that getting in _my _way is committing _actual_ suicide?"

"Liar," the cheerleader breathed. But the other girls were beginning to look a little nervous. "Sheryl," said a small brunette, "I think she might be serious. You should back off now."

"Oh, no." Selina said, eyeing Sheryl. "She doesn't have to stop now if she doesn't want to."

Sheryl glared at Selina and then looked around at the other girls. "Let's end practice for tonight," she said. "Come with me to put your stuff in the equipment closet." The cheerleaders moved in a close knit pack and Selina followed them into the equipment closet. There, she grabbed a baseball bat and knocked out each of the cheerleaders in turn. When they were all unconscious, she grabbed a knife out of her purse and cut out each of their tongues, placing them in one of the girls' gym bags. Then, as the blood poured out of their mouths, Selina grabbed jump ropes and garroted each girl so they were not only bleeding to death, they were slowly strangling as well. After gazing at the grotesque tableau, she wiped her hands and left the equipment room and the school. Then, she went to her car and removed the bodies of the old couple from the trunk and buried them in the dirt. Then, she continued the drive back to Doctor Stensrund's as if nothing had happened.

* * *

When she reached the house, she stepped inside and was met by Alistair, who immediately made note of her sour face. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Rough day?"

Selina frowned at him. "I don't want to talk about it," she snapped. "I'm going to go to my room, and I want to be left alone, do you understand that?" She asked. "Don't even let Klaus come in. If I see him, I just might do something I'll regret later." After he nodded, she strode toward the master bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Klaus returned a while later. "Where's Solana?" He asked. "I need to talk with her."

"She's in the master bedroom," Alistair said. "But I wouldn't go near her if I were you. She's really angry right now."

"Oh, please," Klaus scoffed. "She's a _child_ compared to me. What harm could she possibly do?"

"You want to see?" Alistair reached for the remote and clicked on the news, where a story blared about the school janitor finding several members of the high school's cheerleading squad horribly murdered in the gym equipment closet.

"She really did that?" Klaus asked.

Alistair nodded. "Of course. I saw the whole thing; we're connected, remember. Would you care to know _why_ she did it?"

Klaus shook his head. "Not really. I'm just delighted that she's capable of expressing rage at that level."

"I'm going to tell you anyway," Alistair said. "So you'll be prepared when she does finally see you. When she went in search of Elena, she found her. But she also found your brother."

"Elijah," Klaus breathed. "Is he causing trouble for us?"

"Yes," Alistair nodded. "He and Elena are. They thought it would be best to tell Selina the truth about who she is, so now she's upset because she believes you're lying to her. That and she's mad at Elijah and Elena for planting that idea in her head in the first place."

"Well," Klaus said, "I'll just have to assure my dear Selina that everything she was told was wrong and that she can trust me. That I love her and I'm all she has left in the world."

"Good luck with that," Alistair said.

"Thank you," Klaus nodded and strode off in the direction of the master bedroom.

* * *

When Selina heard the door open, she sat up stiffly. "Alistair," she said, "I told you not to let anyone in-" she frowned when she saw Klaus with his hand on the door frame. "What the hell do you want?" She asked. "I'm in no mood to talk to you. Leave right now." She gestured out the door, but instead of leaving, he just came further into the room.

She frowned, getting up and striding toward him. "What part of 'go away' do you not understand?" She got up right near him and slapped him soundly across the face. As his cheek reddened, he grabbed her by her throat, pinning her up against the wall. "Do you know what I did to the last person who dared to lay a hand on me?" he asked her.

"Yes," Selina sputtered, coughing. "And go ahead and do it to me. I don't really care anymore."

"Oh, no," Klaus said, leaning in close to her. "I've got something different in mind for you," he said, releasing her throat and pulling her to him. "It's going to be slow, and excruciating." He could feel her body shaking. As her eyes widened, he kissed her, slowly and deeply, guiding her onto the bed.

She was breathing hard when he pulled away, her shirt unbuttoned and her skirt covered in wrinkles. "Now," he said, "tell me what's going on."

"I'm just a little upset, that's all," Selina said. "And maybe a little hurt, too."

"Is it because of what my brother told you?" Klaus asked, sitting on the bed next to her. "What exactly did he say?"

"Well," Selina said, "he told me that you've been lying to me, you don't really love me, and that you just want to use me to populate the world with a hybrid species of vampire-werewolves. And why didn't you tell me about him?"

"Oh," Klaus heaved an exaggerated sigh. "I thought it would be best not to, at least not right away. I thought hearing about him would distress you."

"Why would it distress me?" Selina asked as she buttoned her shirt.

"Because you and he have some history," Klaus said. "Soon after you and I were married, I had to leave on a business trip and left you in his care. When the two of you were alone, he tried to seduce you, but you rejected him. He was never quite the same after that. You were the one woman he knew he could never have and it just drove him out of his mind. Now he's trying to poison you against me out of pure spite."

Selina sucked in a breath. "That's horrible," she said. "To do something like that to you." She paused. "But, and I hate to mention this, he _did_ bring up one good point: I don't remember anything about our life together. Not our courtship, or our wedding day, nothing. Why is that?"

Klaus tensed and took Selina's hand. "He _would_ bring that up. It was his doing as well. After you rejected him, he made one last bid for you by removing every memory of us that you had. He thought that would increase his odds."

"Did it?" Selina asked,

Klaus shook his head. "Not really. But when I found out that you had no memory of us, I decided to leave. I figured that if Elijah thought I no longer had feelings for you, he'd leave you alone. I was such a fool." He looked up at her. "Do you forgive me?"

Selina tightened her grip a little. "Of course," she said. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Then, Alistair entered. "Everything all right in here?" He asked.

"Of course," Klaus nodded. "As good as it ever was."

"Listen," Alistair said, looking at them. "I realized just now that your anniversary is next week and I was thinking of throwing you a party. Would you be all right with that?"

"Of course," Selina said, while Klaus nodded. "Alistair, that's so sweet of you! Who are you inviting?"

"That's what I came in to ask you," Alistair told her. "Who would you want to come?"

"Send an invitation to my brother," Klaus said. He looked at Selina. "You do remember where he's staying, don't you?" He asked. "I think it would be best if we took care of what's going on with you two as soon as possible."

"I remember where he is," Selina nodded. "And while we're at it, let's invite Elena too. This could be an _excellent_ occasion for bonding."

"All right," Alistair looked his list over. "That makes five of us, six if you count the person I'm going to invite to be my date. We need four more people to fill up the table."

"Just tell Elena and Elijah they can bring two people each," Selina said. "I think we pretty much know who they're going to bring."

"All right," Alistair said, making a note on his pad. "I'll make the invitations and send them out tomorrow."

"Thanks, Alistair!" Selina called after him as he left the room.

* * *

A few days later, Elijah and Elena were still going over their last encounter with Selina and wondering what they should do now that Klaus knew about Selina's werewolf gene. A sound by the door interrupted their musings.

"What was that?" Elena asked.

"It sounded like there was someone at the door. I'll go see," Elijah said. He came back a few minutes later carrying three letters. "These came for you, me and Andria," he said, setting them down on the table. Elena picked up hers, opened it, and read it over. "I don't believe this," she said.

"What is it?" Elijah asked.

"It's an invitation," Elena said, beginning to laugh. "An invitation to a party celebrating Klaus and Selina's anniversary."

"What?" Elijah asked, quickly opening his. He looked it over. "It says we can each bring two people with us. Am I correct in assuming that you're going to bring Damon and Stefan as your plus two?"

"Of course," Elena nodded. "What about you?"

"Well," Elijah thought a moment. "The most important thing now is for us to get Selina's memory back. I think that the best way to do that now is to get someone behind enemy lines."

A knock gave him pause. He looked up to see Damon peering in at them. "What are you two talking about?" He asked, striding into the room.

"We're discussing who Elijah's going to invite to come along with him to Klaus and Selina's anniversary party."

"What?" Damon asked, snatching the invitation out of Elena's hands and reading it over. "Is this for real?"

Elijah nodded. "I believe it is."

"Naturally you and Stefan are going to be my plus two," Elena said.

"How kind," Damon told her.

Elijah cleared his throat. "For my two, I was thinking of bringing some people who could spy for us," he said. "Now we just need to think of whom to pick."

"That shouldn't be difficult," Damon said. "We have something going for us that Team Bad doesn't have: access to a ton of people who know Selina and don't want her to be evil."

Elijah eyed him thoughtfully. "What can you tell me about her parents?" he asked. "You knew them, I suppose?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "I knew them. But they're both dead. They _were _vampires but Tyler staked Selina's father awhile ago, and Katherine burned Selina's mother to a crisp at Selina's birthday party. Why?"

"Because I was just thinking how surprising it would be to have them show up at the party," Elijah said. "I mean, in Klaus' version of Selina's life, her father is dead and who knows what happened to her mother, so the last thing he'd be expecting is for his in-laws to show up on his doorstep."

"That _would _be clever," Elena agreed. "Having them around would help bring her memory back too."

"Exactly, so their presence would mean a little something for everyone," Elijah said. "But if they're both dead..." He paused. "Wait a minute." He stood up and left the room, coming back a short while later with Jonas trailing behind him.

"What is it that you need?" Jonas asked.

"We need a spell to mend some bodies," Elijah said.

"Did someone get hurt?" Jonas asked.

"No," Elijah shook his head. "But we're in need of the services of two people who are dead, so it would be helpful if you could bring them back to life."

Jonas shook his head. "It's impossible to use magic to raise the dead," he said.

"Are you sure about that?" Elijah asked.

Jonas nodded.

"What if the spirits of the people we needed were still around and all we needed to do was get the bodies for them to reoccupy?" Damon asked.

"That's different," Jonas said. "That could work."

"The only problem is," Elena said, "one of the bodies is badly charred. Could you make it whole again?"

"I suppose," Jonas said. "But first, you have to get the body for me."

"All right," Damon nodded and looked at Elijah. "When do you want to go and do this?" He asked.

"As soon as possible," Elijah said. "How about tonight?"

"You'll have to get Tyler and ask where in the world his parents buried Amelia," Elena said. "They put her somewhere secret after Katherine got to her. And we'll have to go and get Matthew too." She paused. "And when I say 'we'll' I mean 'you.'"

"You have to come too," Elijah said. "We can't be interrupted. You'll have to distract anyone who comes upon us."

"Wonderful," Elena said. "I'll go get Tyler and call you once I find out where we're going. I assume you want to get Amelia first because she's going to take longer to fix?"

"Yeah," Damon nodded. "And letting Matthew and Amelia in on our plan wouldn't be a bad idea either."

"Got it," Elena nodded. "See you guys tonight?"

"Tonight," Elijah nodded.

"See you then, Elena," Damon said as she left the room and shut the door behind her.


	49. Bring Me To Life

When she heard the knock on the front door, Caroline went to answer it, grinning when she saw Elena on the other side. "Hi," she said. "What brings you here?"

"You're going to think it's weird," Elena said.

Caroline shook her head and led Elena into the kitchen. "After everything we've been through, I don't think I'll ever see anything as weird again. So what do you need?" She went to the refrigerator and grabbed two Cokes out of the refrigerator, handing one to Elena.

Elena thought a moment, then said "Who's all home besides you? Is Tyler here? I need to know where his parents buried Selina's mom after Katherine killed her."

Caroline took a sip. "You _could_ ask them yourself," she said. "I don't think Tyler would know anything about that. I asked him about it and he said that he and Mason took Selina to their lake house as soon as Amelia was killed, so he wasn't there when his parents took care of her body."

Elena nodded, placing her pop can on the counter. "So are they here now?" She asked. "Can I ask them?"

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "They're outside on the deck. Follow me," She began walking toward the screen door that led to the deck branching out from the second story of the house. "I'm so glad Bonnie made me a ring," she said, turning to Elena before she pushed the screen door open. "It just makes things so much easier."

Elena nodded. "Don't I know it?" She asked, holding out her hand.

"Why are _you_ wearing one?" Caroline asked. "Did Damon do something?"

"No," Elena shook her head as they stepped outside. "It was Selina's idea actually. She thinks that if I'm a vampire and she's a vampire, then Klaus won't be able to sacrifice either of us. Or at least she _did_ until we discovered another problem that only puts _me_ in real danger from Klaus. Well, I suppose you could say Selina's still in danger from him too, but not because he wants to sacrifice her."

"Yeah," Caroline nodded. "He just took advantage of the fact that she has amnesia and told her that he was her husband. Now, do we know why he did that? Or is it still a mystery?"

"We know," Elena said. "Apparently, Klaus is a vampire-werewolf hybrid, but his wolf side has been repressed. He wants to use an upcoming full moon to activate his wolf side and part of that will require sacrifice of a doppelganger and so on and so forth. But—"

"Wait," Caroline said, holding up her hand. "Did you say that Klaus was a werewolf-vampire hybrid? Selina's like that too."

"Exactly," Elena nodded. "That's why he wanted to convince her that they were married. If she believes that, then she'll be more likely to want to help him create a vampire-werewolf race. Which leads me to why I came in the first place: Klaus' wizard helper Alistair has decided to throw an 'anniversary party' for Selina and Klaus in a few days. Elijah, Andria and I have been invited, and Elijah and I are allowed to invite two other guests each. I'm bringing Damon and Stefan of course, and Elijah wants to bring Matthew and Amelia."

"Why?" Caroline asked.

"Because," Elena said, "Elijah thinks that will throw Klaus off by helping bring Selina's memory back. I really hope it works. You saw that story on the news about the cheerleaders, right?"

"Yeah," Caroline shivered. "What a horrible way to die."

"Selina did it," Elena said heavily. "I think Klaus is starting to change her for the worse. So that's why we need to get Matthew and Amelia's bodies so we can take them back to the hideout, get them cleaned up, and bring them _here_ so Matthew and Amelia's spirits can reenter them."

"Wow," Caroline said. "That's intense." They finally got onto the deck. "Hi," Elena said as she sat down. She looked at Mrs. Lockwood. "I have a question," she said. "It's going to sound really bizarre, but just hear me out."

"Elena wants to know where you buried Amelia's body," Caroline blurted out.

Mayor Lockwood frowned. "Why in the world would you need to know that?"

"Because Selina lost her memory in a car accident and now the most evil vampire in the history of time wants to marry her so the two of them can create a race of vampire-werewolf hybrids," Caroline told him.

"Are you serious?" Tyler asked after he'd stopped coughing from choking on his drink.

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "I know it's a lot to take in, but there's no way to sugarcoat it."

"So why do you need Amelia's body?" Mrs. Lockwood asked.

Elena looked at Caroline. "You've told them everything else."

Caroline cleared her throat. "They need Amelia's body, and Matthew's too, because this super-evil vampire is having a party in a few days to celebrate his and Selina's 'anniversary.' A few of the vampires who are trying to stop Klaus are invited, and one of them, Elijah, wants to bring Klaus' 'in-laws' to the party as a way to try and get Selina's memory back."

"Wait," Mrs. Lockwood said. "Selina has no idea who she is?"

"Yeah," Tyler nodded. "But it's complicated, so I'd just go with it if I were you and tell Elena where the two of you buried Aunt Amelia."

"We put her in the backyard," Mayor Lockwood said, standing up. Elena and Tyler followed him to the backyard. "Do you want us to dig her up now?"

"Not right now," Elena shook her head. "Or we could, I mean, if that would be easiest."

Mayor Lockwood turned to look at Tyler. "Get the shovels from the tool shed."

"You're believing this pretty easily," Tyler observed.

"Well," Mayor Lockwood said, "after our own family history, I can believe anything."

While Tyler was getting the shovels, Elena called the hideout. "Elijah," she said, "I got the mayor to believe me and now he and Tyler are going to be getting Amelia out so we can bring her back to the hideout." She paused. "Why is it good that I'm managing this by myself?" She sighed and shut her phone. It was just one problem after another.

* * *

"…And why is it that I'm not allowed to go to this party?" Andria asked, glaring at her mother with her hands on her hips.

"What kind of responsible parent would I be if I allowed you to be in the company of a man who tried to kill you?" Stella shot back. "You're staying here."

Andria looked at her father. "Talk some sense into her, please."

Her father shook his head. "Your mother's right. You aren't going to the party. Who knows what's going to happen there? It could be something that will end with you getting hurt and we're not going to go through that again."

"No," Stella agreed. "However, since you_ were_ issued an invitation and it would be rude to put the table out, _I _will be going in your place."

"And what if _you_ get hurt?" Andria asked. She looked pointedly at her father. "It's not like nobody's going to miss you."

Stella shook her head. "There's no chance that I'll be hurt because I have absolutely nothing to do with this doppelganger business; you do."

Andria stood up. "I don't care what you say; I'm going to the party."

The sound of someone clearing their throat stopped Stella from replying. The three of them turned around and saw Elijah standing in the doorway, his hand on the frame. "I just got off the phone with Elena," he said. "She told me that Amelia Warren's body is being exhumed right now. Have we made a decision about who will be coming to the party?"

"I will," Stella said. "Undoubtedly, Andria was invited by that witch of Klaus' to be his date. And it happens that he was the same man who made her into a doppelganger producer five-hundred years ago. With that in mind, we've all decided that she won't be going."

"Actually," Andria said, "_they_ decided I'm not going; I haven't agreed to anything yet, but honestly, I don't see the harm. What do you think?"

"I think you should listen to your parents," Elijah said. "You already escaped death once. This time you might not be so lucky."

"Come now," Andria said. "Why would they want me dead?"

"Klaus never needs a reason," Elijah said. "He does as he pleases. If he feels that you're in the way, he _will_ kill you."

"Fine," Andria sighed. "I'll stay home." She turned and stomped off. Stella and her husband looked at one another. "Kids these days," she said.

"They don't have the sense they were born with," he agreed.

* * *

A few hours later, Mayor Lockwood, Tyler and Elena had finished digging up Amelia and were holding on to her body, when Tyler asked Elena, "What are we supposed to do with her now?"

"Put her in the backseat of my car," Elena said. "We need to drive her to the hideout so she can be fixed. Then we'll bring her back here so her spirit can re-inhabit her body."

"Where's the hideout again?" Tyler asked.

"It might be better if I bring the body there," Elena said. "You go and tell Amelia and Matthew what we're going to do, all right?"

Tyler sighed and let go of Amelia. He went over to Elena's car and popped the trunk open. "Do you think she's going to fit?" He asked.

It took some maneuvering, but Mayor Lockwood and Elena managed to get the body in the car.

"Now what?" Tyler asked.

"Now, Matthew," Elena said. "Where's he?"

Tyler shrugged. "I don't know; that whole incident is a little hazy."

"All right," Elena said. "I'll go see if anyone else knows." She got in her car and drove Amelia's body back to the hideout.

"Anyone home?" She called. "I got Amelia's body. Could someone help me bring it in?"

"Sure," Andria said. "I will." They headed back outside and Elena popped open the trunk. Andria breathed in sharply. "This is Selina's _mother?_ What the hell happened to her?"

"Katherine tied her up and set her on fire," Elena said. "It happened on Selina's birthday too."

They pulled the body out of the trunk and brought it inside, carrying it to the room where Jonas spent most of his time. "Here's the first body," Elena said as they set it down on the table. "The second one's coming; I just have to figure out where it is."

Jonas got up and eyed the body critically. "This should be a pretty simple operation, actually," he said. He stood over to table and muttered a few words, bringing his hand down. Suddenly, there was a loud _boom_ and the room erupted in smoke. After it had cleared, Andria and Elena eyed the body again.

"Did it work?" Andria asked Elena. "Is that Selina's mother?"

"Yep," Elena nodded. Before them was the body of Amelia Warren. Elena had seen her enough times to be sure of that, although now she looked a little different; younger than she had looked when she was masquerading as the English teacher of Mystic Falls High School. "Did you do something to her?" Elena asked Jonas. "She looks different."

Jonas nodded. "I might have made her a little younger. I read up on her and it said that she was nearly forty when she was turned by her husband, while he was only twenty-two."

"That's true," Elena nodded. "But why would that matter?"

"I just think it would be less suspicious for them to be closer to the same age," Jonas said. "Now, go and find Selina's father's body; the spell doesn't last very long without the soul present."

Elena nodded. "I think I'll need to go to the boardinghouse for that," Elena said.

"Can I come?" Andria asked. "I _really_ need to get away from my parents."

* * *

They arrived at the boardinghouse an hour later, causing Stefan to do a double take when he opened the front door and saw Andria standing on the other side. "Why are _you_ here?" He asked her as he let them in.

Andria shrugged. "I needed to get away from my parents; I got invited to the 'anniversary party' presumably to be Alistair's date, but my parents won't let me go because of our past history. Do you think I'm being childish?"

"Well," Stefan asked, "What does it matter if you're going to sneak out and come anyway?"

Andria shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just curious."

"Is Damon home?" Elena asked. "I have a question for him. Or you might know: What happened to Selina's father's body after Tyler staked him?"

"We brought it back from the tomb and buried it here," Stefan said. "But don't ever tell Selina that."

"I won't," Elena said. "Could you help us dig it up?"

Stefan frowned. "Why would you want to dig it up?"

"Because Elijah wants Amelia and Matthew to come to the anniversary party so that Klaus can get to know his 'in-laws'" Elena explained. "And he thinks that having her parents around might help bring Selina's memory back."

Stefan sighed and led Elena and Andria to an out-of-the-way corner of the yard behind the boardinghouse. "He's under here," he said. "I'll go get the shovels."

* * *

Another two hours later and Andria and Elena were back on the road to the hideout. This time, Stefan was with them. "Why are you here again?" Andria asked him.

"I'm just curious to see how this is going to work out," Stefan said. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Andria shook her head.

When they reached the house, they parked in the driveway and got the body out of the trunk. Andria and Stefan carried it to the front door while Elena went ahead of them and knocked, starting a little when Elijah answered the door. "Did you get Selina's father's body?" He asked.

Elena nodded. "We did. Can we bring it in?"

"Of course," Elijah nodded, stepping back to let them in. "And hurry."

As quickly as they could, they brought the body inside and brought it to Jonas. "Just in time," he said, doing the same trick to Matthew's body that he'd done to Amelia's. "The Lockwood mansion, where their spirits are, is across town," Elena said. "Will there be time to get them there?"

"Yes," Jonas said. "You have time." They picked up Matthew and Amelia's body and put them back in the trunk of the car, driving to the Lockwood mansion. When they arrived, Tyler met them at the door.

"I told Aunt Amelia and Uncle Matthew what was going on," he said. "And they're waiting for you."

"Thanks," Elena said. Tyler followed her out to her car. They grabbed Matthew, who was on top in the trunk, and Stefan and Andria grabbed Amelia. They carried the bodies inside the house and into the study near the kitchen where Amelia and Matthew were waiting for them.

"Let me guess," Matthew said as he watched them come in, "this is part of that big overarching problem Selina and Damon told us about."

"Kind of," Elena said, putting his body down. "And it's kind of got something to do with a whole other can of worms."

"Tyler said Selina was in an accident," Amelia said. "That she had no memory. Is that true?"

"Yes," Elena nodded. "Unless she secretly was born five hundred years ago and her name is actually Solana Salazar de Pena."

"No," Amelia frowned and shook her head. "Where would she come up with an idea like that?"

"Well," Elena said, "You two get into your bodies and I will elaborate." They nodded went to stand over their prone forms. A second later, they disappeared and their bodies began to move. Their eyes opened, they gasped.

"Are you all right?" Elena asked. "Do you need any help sitting up?"

Amelia gave Elena her hand and Elena pulled her up. Matthew, however, was able to get up on his own. He pushed his brown hair out of his eyes and sat up. "This is so weird," he said. "It's been awhile since I've actually had a body."

Amelia shook out her arms and twisted her torso. "It's nice to have one that's not charred, that's for sure." She looked at Elena. "Now what happens?"

"Now I think you come with us," Elena said.

Matthew and Amelia followed Elena, Stefan, Tyler and Andria out of the study and to the front door, but just as they were about to leave, they heard a gasp. They turned and saw Mrs. Lockwood gaping. "You weren't kidding about bringing them back, were you?" She breathed.

"No," Elena said. "I wasn't. Are you going to be all right?"

"Yes," Mrs. Lockwood nodded. "Just as soon as I have a drink I'll be all right." She stared at them for a few more seconds and then headed in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

Once they were out the door, they went and settled themselves into Elena's car. "So," Amelia said once they'd started moving again, "what's going on with Selina?"

"Well," Elena said, "Damon and Selina have told you about the ritual that requires the sacrifice of her or me by the oldest vampire in the history of ever-or at least one of them anyway, to end the vampire curse, right?"

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "What about it?"

"Well," Elena continued, "It turns out that this original vampire-his name is Klaus-is actually a vampire-werewolf hybrid. Prior to his family's transformation into vampires, his mother had an affair with a man from a werewolf bloodline which produced Klaus. And he's discovered that Selina is the same way and wants to marry her so the two of them can breed an entire race of werewolf-vampire hybrids and take over the world."

"Well," Amelia shifted in her seat. "The way you're talking, you're making it seem like that hybrid is rare."

"Well isn't it?" Elena asked. "How many do _you_ know?"

"Three off the top of my head if I include myself," Amelia said. "Just look at our family tree and you'll see that hybrids aren't as rare as these Originals would like you to believe."

"What?" Elena asked.

"Well think about it," Amelia said. "Why do you have to lock Selina in her room every time there's a full moon? Or at least try to anyway. I realize the last couple of times haven't been that successful. And how do you think she got that way? Yes, I accept full responsibility for her fun little quirks."

"You're right," Elena said, her voice rising in pitch. "Oh, my God, you're right! You're a vampire with a werewolf bloodline too! I totally forgot. Who else is there?"

Amelia bit her lip before speaking. "Michael," she said at last. "You know, he might actually be a big help in this situation. Selina believes she's married to someone who's evil, immoral and intent on using her. Who better to nip that in the bud than him?"

"Right again," Elena said. "I don't know if Michael will want to help us though, considering what happened the last time he was earthbound."

"Trust me, Elena," Amelia said. "If I know my nephew, and I do, and something comes up that deals with protecting Selina from harm, he'll be all over it."

"Not to mention your brother Jacob, Mason, and Tyler. Even if they're just garden-variety werewolves, they can be of some use, right?" Matthew asked.

"Correct," Amelia said. Matthew leaned back in his seat, looking a little shell-shocked. "I can't believe it took me all this time to figure out your family secret. You seem so normal."

"Oh, please." Amelia said, laughing. "It's not like the Warrens are a bunch of Nancy Normals either. Isn't that right, Andria?" She asked, leaning forward.

Andria turned around to grin at Matthew. "I'm afraid your wife is correct," she said. "Thanks to Katerina Petrova, you've got quite a few vampires in your lineage, don't you?"

"But that's not genetic," Matthew said. "That was just bad luck."

"Touche," Andria said. "But it's still an interesting coincidence that Selina's got werewolves on one side of her family and vampires on the other."

Elena was grinning. "We should tell Elijah about this," she told Andria. "I can't wait to see what he says."

* * *

They arrived back at the hideout and Elena, Tyler, Stefan and Andria immediately brought Matthew and Amelia to the library. "So," Elijah said when he saw them, "you brought them, I see. Did everything go well?"

Elena nodded. "I think so. Listen, I have some good news."

"Oh, really?" Elijah asked. "What is it?"

"Well," Elena said, motioning for him to sit down, "you know how your brother is a vampire-werewolf hybrid? And Selina is too?"

"Yes….?" Elijah said. "What about it?"

"Well, so is Selina's mother. And her cousin Michael."

Elijah's eyes widened in a rare slip of control, and he looked at Amelia, stunned. "Are you really?" He asked.

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "I was born a Lockwood, so I'm full of werewolf blood, and later in my life, my husband turned me, so I guess that would make me both."

Elijah turned back to Elena. "And what about this Michael you mentioned? Are we going to have to do some more digging?"

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "That is, if you want him to help us fight off Klaus."

"Which you do," Amelia told him. "Because he's _very_ protective of Selina and will basically die to keep any sort of harm from coming to her."

Elijah's eyebrow rose. "Is that so?"

Elena and Andria looked at one another. "Back to the cemetery?" Elena asked tiredly.

"Yes," Elijah nodded. Back to the cemetery." He looked at Amelia. "And where is the soul of this Michael?"

Amelia shrugged. "I have no idea. He could be back at the house."

"He is," Tyler nodded. "I found him in Selina's old room yesterday clutching one of her pillows."

"Poor guy," Matthew said. "He really did have it bad."

"Yeah," Tyler said. "It's a real shame he never dealt with it properly. But maybe if he agrees to get involved, he'll finally get the attention from her that he wants."

"Are you two going to ask him to help us?" Elena asked.

"Of course," Amelia said.

"But it can wait a couple of days," Elijah said. "First, we have to get you ready for a party."


	50. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

The afternoon of the party, Amelia headed back to the Lockwood mansion. She and Matthew had talked it over and decided that it would be best for _her_ to be the one to tell Michael about what was going on. They'd gotten his body out from near old Fell's Church earlier that day and now they just had to stick Michael in it.

She met George as she was coming up the stairs. "Are you looking for Michael?" He asked.

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "He _is_ here, isn't he?"

"Yes," George nodded. "In Selina's old room. Where else?" He looked her over. "What happened to you?"

Amelia looked down at herself. "I'll explain it to you later. You, Mason, and Jacob all need to know what's going on."

"But first you have to talk to Michael," George finished. "Follow me." He led Amelia to the door of Selina's old bedroom and gave the door two sharp raps. "Michael," he said severely, "It's George. I'm here with Aunt Amelia. She wants to talk to you, so let us in."

"Come in," called a subdued voice from the other side of the door. George opened it and he and Amelia entered. Michael was under Selina's covers. George took one look at him tucked under Selina's white silk comforter and rolled his eyes. "That's exactly how you looked when I left you this morning. Have you left since?"

Michael shifted. "No. I see no reason to."

George came and sat next to him. "Sit up," he ordered. "I'll get you a brandy and then you and Aunt Amelia are going to have a little talk, all right?"

"Fine," Michael said emptily, throwing the covers aside and sitting up. He looked hopelessly dejected.

As soon as George was gone, Amelia came and sat next to Michael on the bed. "Are you all right?" She asked. "What's the matter?"

Michael held her eyes. "I think you know what the matter is. It's the same thing that's been the matter since 1852. Selina."

"Tell me," Amelia said, "What exactly is it that makes you so interested in my daughter? Were you in love with her? Is that why you got so upset when I told your father that I'd agreed to let Selina marry Damon Salvatore?"

Michael frowned. "No, that's not exactly it. It's because of something I've never told anyone. I should have told you, but with everything you had going on at the time that it happened, I thought it would just be too much for you to bear."

"Well I'm better now," Amelia said. "What happened?"

Michael got off the bed and ran his hands through his dark hair. Then, he got down on his knees and began rummaging around under the bed. Finally, he re-emerged clutching a newspaper. It was practically new. "Read the front page," was all he said.

Amelia took the paper. On the front page was an article about a group of cheerleaders who had been found brutally murdered at the high school. "I've been listening around," Michael said. "I heard Caroline and Elena talking the other day and they said that Selina killed those girls."

Amelia's head snapped up. "She wouldn't. I know my daughter and she wouldn't do anything like this."

"Why not?" Michael asked. "She has before. Doctor Stensrund comes to mind. And I've heard whispers about others: She made Tyler turn and attacked Elena's brother Jeremy."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Amelia asked.

Michael sighed. "Remember when Selina was six and our overseer had that sudden attack of nerves? Father tried to get a word out of him, but he couldn't speak coherently for days."

"I remember," Amelia nodded. "He just kept going on and on about evil laughter, demons and eyes in the dark. But he was a drunk though. Your father always said that everything Jim saw was a hallucination."

"If only that were true," Michael said.

"What really happened?" Amelia asked. "Did Selina do something?" She was beginning to feel cold all over.

"Selina was out at night, playing with the dogs. Jim was drunk," Michael said. "Selina and one of the dogs stumbled across him. He took her for one of his charges and grabbed her. As the moon came up that night, he tried to drag her back to the slave quarters, and when she resisted, he began to hit her. Then, Selina took the knife Jim always kept with him and began to slash at him with it. She got some good licks in before he dropped her. He began to run away from her, but she sprinted after him, still brandishing the knife, spittle rolling down her chin, her eyes flashing. They reached the house and Jim began knocking madly on the front door. I was the first one to answer it. Jim begged me to let him in. I did and when I saw Selina, I dragged her in as well. I took the knife away from her and threw it into the fire. She was growling and thrashing. She looked absolutely insane. It was a struggle, but I managed to get her upstairs and lock her in her room, where she stayed for the rest of the night. Come the next morning, she was back to normal. It was as if nothing had happened."

"My God," Amelia breathed. "You're not lying?"

"No," Michael said gravely. "It was a terrifying experience. That was the first time Uncle Jacob came to visit and told me the truth about our family. I was scared for Selina after that. I knew she could react like that again at any time. That's why I wanted to keep such close tabs on her. If she were to get away and kill someone, then the secret would be revealed to everyone. Do you honestly think anyone outside of our family could handle our little eccentricity?" He looked down at the paper again "And here it is again, that temper of hers in action." He hit the paper hard.

"She never mentioned that," Amelia said. "Did something happen to make her forget it?"

"Well now, I have no idea," Michael said. "But the fact that you very nearly killed someone is _not_ a fact one usually wants to bring up with their mother. She never mentioned _anything_ about it to you?"

"Maybe a little," Amelia said. "She told me that Jim tried to hurt her when she was playing with the dogs and nothing else. But I haven't talked to her about it since then."

"Do you think she'd know about the rest if you asked her now?" Michael asked.

Amelia shrugged. "I don't know. But it's worth a shot."

Just then, George came in, carrying a glass of brandy. He gave it to Michael who downed it, then he looked at Amelia. "You look ill," he observed. "Could I get _you_ anything?"

Amelia shook her head. "No thanks, I'm fine." She paused. "Maybe a glass of white wine. Do we have any?"

"Of course," George said and hurried back downstairs. Amelia looked at Michael again and cleared her throat. "It's interesting that you tell me this story now," she said. "Because something's happened and we need your help."

"Is Selina in trouble?" Michael asked.

Amelia nodded. "Selina and possibly everyone else in town; she got in an accident awhile ago and lost her memory. Then, the oldest vampire in the history of time, who also happens to have werewolf blood, found out about Selina's werewolf heritage and now he wants to use her to help spawn an entire hybrid race that is going to take over the world. She's been living with him ever since the accident. Apparently, he's convinced her that they're man and wife."

"Well that's distressing," Michael said. "And you're telling me this because you think I'll be able to stop it?"

Amelia nodded. "Or at least make a valiant attempt. Selina will be evil otherwise. So will you come?"

Michael looked down at himself. "I'm afraid I won't be able to be much help outside this house. I'm a ghost, remember?"

"Not for long," Amelia said. "We've got your body back at the hideout; all you have to do is reenter it. Now come on if you want to. We don't have much time. We still have to get Mason and Jacob to come with us."

Michael nodded and stood up. As he was following Amelia out of the room, George showed up with her wine. She took the glass from him and downed it in one gulp. "Thank you," she said. She looked him over. "I can't remember," she said. "Is the curse activated in you or not?"

"Yes," George nodded. "It is. Why?"

Amelia grabbed his arm. "Come with us then," she said. "We need everyone we can get."

"Where are we going?" George asked as Amelia pulled him along.

"It's a little complicated," Amelia said. "I'll explain once we get there."

"It has something to do with Selina becoming mother to a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids that are going to take over the world," Michael said helpfully. "And we have to stop her."

They got outside the house and Michael and George became ethereal once again. "Where are we going?" Michael asked.

"It's downtown," Amelia said. "I'll wait outside for you. And make sure you get Mason and Jacob too, and explain to them what's going on as best you can."

"We'll do it, Aunt Amelia," George said.

Amelia smiled and got in her car. "Thank you," she called as she drove away. A few feet away from the drive, she paused. "Michael, come with me," she ordered. "We need you there a lot sooner. Michael reappeared in the passenger's seat, and once more, George waved them away.

* * *

"Did you get him?" Elijah asked as Amelia entered the study, with Michael trailing behind her.

"Yes," Amelia nodded. She gestured for Michael to step forward. "This is my nephew Michael," she said. "Where's the room I woke up in again?"

"Just across the hall," Elijah said, gesturing outward. Michael went and returned in-body a few minutes later. "Nice to be in your own body again?" Amelia asked.

"Yes," Michael nodded. Just then, Elena entered the study, starting when she saw Michael standing there. "Why is he here?"

"He's here," Elijah said, standing up, "because he cares so much about Selina that he will get rid of anyone who tries to hurt her."

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "I know that. But Selina's not going to want to come near us if he's here. She's never been particularly fond of him."

"I plan on being more subtle this time," Michael said stiffly. He played around with the cuff of his gray suit jacket. "And if I recall, Selina's lost her memory, so she won't know who I am, and thus won't run away from me."

"Good point," Elena said, walking further into the room. She sat down next to Elijah and let out a squeak of surprise when George, Mason and Jacob appeared in the room. "I got everyone, Aunt Amelia," George announced.

"Who _are_ all these people?" Elijah asked.

"Well," Amelia stood up and gestured at each of them in turn. "This is my nephew George, my brother Jacob, and my several-greats nephew Mason."

"I see," Elijah said. "So are we building up a team then?"

"Well yes," Amelia said. "In life, both George and Mason had the werewolf gene activated in them."

"And me," Jacob said. "Don't forget about me."

Amelia shook her head. "I wouldn't forget about you, Jacob. You started all this." She looked back at Elijah. "Jacob's the werewolf scholar of the family. He did his research before he turned."

"I learned from his notes that if Selina is bitten by a werewolf, she turns human instead of suffering like vampires usually do," Mason said.

Elena saw the glint in Elijah's eye. "Oh, no," she said. "I'm not digging up anymore dead people for you."

"There will be no need for that," Elijah said. "Too many extra guests at the party might look suspicious. Only Michael will regain his body. The rest of you will stay as you are for now."

They nodded. "So what's the reason for all of this?" Michael asked. "Is Selina really going to give birth to a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids that are going to take over the world?"

"No," Elijah said. "Not if we can help it. Now, she and Klaus, who just happens to be my brother, are having an anniversary party thrown for them tonight by Klaus' wizard lackey Alistair Fale. My plan is to bring Amelia and Matthew with me as my guests, the reason being that I've heard the story Klaus has told Selina about her life, and in that story, both of her parents are dead, so he won't be expecting them to show up alive and well at his anniversary. I also have a hunch that having her real parents around her might bring her back to herself."

"So you want us to come to the party too?" Mason asked. "Lurk around in the bushes until something bad happens and then attack?"

"For now, yes," Elijah nodded. "I don't think much is going to happen tonight, but one can never be too careful. Once Klaus finds out how onto him we are, then we'll _really_ need you."

"What do you think might happen? Klaus will try and have his way with her right then and there?" Mason asked. "Do you think they'll celebrate their anniversary by going out and killing someone?"

"Actually, I'm more concerned about Klaus' reaction once he realizes Selina's got her memory back," Elijah said. "I hope that happens tonight." He looked at Elena. "You're still bringing Damon and Stefan tonight, correct?"

"Yes," Elena nodded.

"Wow," Mason said. "The looming threat of death, Selina with no memory, and Damon and Michael in the same room. Sounds like a party to me."

* * *

Selina and Alistair were making some last minute adjustments to the refreshment table for the party when Klaus appeared in the dining room. He gave Selina a glance and then looked at Alistair. "Would you give us a minute?" He asked.

"Of course," Alistair nodded and left the room. "What is it?" Selina asked. She noticed Klaus was trying to hide a long, thin package behind his back. "Did you get something for me?"

"Yes," Klaus said after a moment. "What kind of husband would I be if I didn't get you anything for our anniversary?"

Selina took the package, opening it and slowly pulling out the contents. "Wow," she breathed when she'd gotten all the roses out. "Red roses are my favorite. How did you know?"

Klaus grinned wickedly. "Lucky guess. Happy anniversary, darling."

She smiled. "Thank you." Klaus went and got her a vase and she put the roses in it and set them in the middle of the dining room table. "There," she said. "Now everyone can have a look at how pretty they are."

Alistair came back a little while later. "The first guests have arrived," he said.

"My brother?" Klaus asked.

"No," Alistair shook his head. "Elena and the Salvatore brothers."

Selina looked at Klaus. "Are you going to be all right?" She asked him. "I understand that it might be a little awkward having my ex at our anniversary party."

"Of course," Klaus said. "You didn't really _feel_ anything for him, did you?"

"No," Selina said. "Of course not." They headed to the front entryway and saw Elena standing there with Damon and Stefan on either side of her. She wore a knee-length purple dress. Damon and Stefan were in sport coats and slacks. "Thank you for coming, Elena." Selina said.

"It's no problem," Elena said. "I wouldn't miss an occasion like this. Is anyone else here yet?"

"No," Selina shook her head. "Just you. Why? Are you expecting anyone?"

"No," Elena shook her head. "I was just curious, that's all."

When the doorbell rang again, everyone tensed and stared at it until Klaus cleared his throat and Alistair went to answer the door. On the other side stood Elijah. He looked at Klaus and stepped into the house. "Hello, brother." He said.

"Hello," Klaus got out after a few seconds. When Elijah leaned in toward Selina, Klaus ever-so-slightly pulled her toward himself. "What's the matter?" Elijah asked.

"You just behave yourself tonight," Selina said. "I know we've had some history, and I'm sorry about all that you felt because of me, but you have to forget about it; I'm married to your brother now and I'm not going to forsake him just because you want me."

Elijah frowned. "What?"

"I told her what you did," Klaus said. "How you assaulted her after she and I were married. How you erased her memory of me just so you could have her to yourself. But it backfired on you, didn't it?"

"Oh, yes, that." Elijah cleared his throat. "It's strange that I don't remember that, but I've honestly tried to make amends for that dreadful mistake."

"You have?" Selina said. "How?"

"Well for starters, I brought you two a present for your anniversary." Elijah went back to the front door and called out. "All of you can come in now."

People appeared in the doorway. They were wearing vivid colors. The woman was in red, and the man was wearing a green shirt with tan chinos. They entered the house, followed by another woman with black hair and blue eyes who settled herself on Elijah's arm, and a dark-haired, dark-eyed young man who glared at Selina and Klaus' linked arms. The first couple strolled over to Selina. "There she is," the woman breathed. "I can't believe we're finally seeing her again after all these years."

Selina looked at them. "Excuse me," she said. "But who are you?"

The woman, a brunette with blue eyes, looked at the man, who Selina assumed was her husband. "She doesn't remember us, Matteo."

The man frowned. "That's hard. What could possibly make a person forget their own parents?"

Selina's eyes widened. Beside her, Klaus' grip tightened. "You two are my _parents?_" She asked.

"Yes," Matthew nodded. "I'm Matteo de Pena, and this is my wife, Amelia Salazar. We used to be nobility, but we shed the title years ago."

Selina looked at Klaus. "You told me they were dead!"

"Did he really?" Elijah asked. "Well it just so happens that I managed to get Matteo out of Torquemada's clutches before he was scheduled to be executed. And then I thought it would be best if he got out of the country for awhile. But I figure it's safe enough for him to be in contact with you again since the Inquisition's been over for years."

"He told you I was dead?" Amelia asked.

"Actually," Selina admitted, "he didn't tell me anything about you," she said, looking at her mother. "Why were _you_ gone from my life?"

"I got sick soon after you were born," Amelia said. "The doctor took you away and gave me his blood to make me better. That's how I became a vampire."

"I had no idea," Selina said. She looked at them a little longer and then went to the hall mirror to look at herself. Amelia and Matthew followed. "Do you see it?" Amelia asked. "You really _are_ our child."

Selina studied the image of herself and that of Amelia behind her. "You're right," she said. "We do look alike. And the two of you _do_ seem kind of familiar." She slowly turned and looked deep into Amelia's eyes. Then, something clicked. She hurried to her and Klaus' bedroom. Underneath the bed were boxes of pictures from Selina's files. She began rifling through the photos and pulled one out: a picture of herself as a baby, sitting on Amelia's lap with Matthew standing behind them, his hand on Amelia's shoulder. "That's it," she whispered. She brought the picture down and strode into the living room where Klaus and Elijah were arguing. "I hate to break up this little love fest," she said, strolling over to Elijah. "But I'd like to know what the hell you think you're trying to pull."

"What?" Elijah stopped cold. "What do you mean?"

"Those people in there," Selina gestured wildly out the library door. "They aren't my parents, they're the people I _pretended_ were my parents when I went slumming here. See?" She held up the picture. "I thought you said you were trying to become a changed man, but you really haven't changed at all." She strode from the library, crumpling up the picture and throwing it on the floor.

"Are you all right?" Elena asked as she strode up to Selina. "You look upset."

"Oh, it's nothing," Selina said. "I just don't know why Klaus wanted to invite his brother to this party in the first place. I've always been a point of contention for them and this is just re-opening old wounds."

"Oh," Elena said. "Would you like to meet the other two people Elijah brought with him?"

"All right," Selina said. They headed toward the living room where they heard a crash, followed by shouts and curses. They entered the room and found Damon and Michael throwing punches at one another. A dark blue Ming vase was shattered at Damon's feet. "What the hell is going on in here?" Selina shouted.

"What's going on," Damon said, "is that this jackass had the nerve to come to this party." He aimed another punch at Michael, but Amelia got hold of his arm and bent it backward, causing Damon to wince. "I brought him," She said through her teeth. "He promised he would behave himself and I expect no less from you."

She let go of his arm and pushed him forward into the coffee table. Feeling a pang of sympathy, Selina hurried over to the coffee table, lifting up Damon's head which had a large bump on it. She looked up at her mother. "What did you do that for? He didn't deserve it!"

"It's not good form to fight at a party," Amelia said. "This is supposed to be a _happy_ occasion."

"Yeah," Damon said, blood dripping from his nose. "If by 'happy' you mean fake." He looked at Selina. "All this is a lie," he said. "It's not your anniversary."

"Yes it is," Selina nodded.

"No it isn't," said the dark-haired young man, taking a seat next to Damon. "You and _him_," He gestured at Klaus, who had just entered in the room with Elijah, "aren't even married. He just wants to use you for his own personal gain. I mean come on. He already lied to you about your parents. What else do you think he lied to you about?"

Selina glared at him. "Who _are_ you?"

The young man smiled easily. "Michael Lockwood," he said.

Selina nodded. "Well, Michael Lockwood," she said stiffly, "I'm afraid you're mistaken. People can be mistaken you know. It happens."

"Not this time I'm not," Michael said. "I'm absolutely, one-hundred percent correct. Kill me if I'm wrong." He held out his arms, exposing his whole torso. "I won't try and stop you."

"All right," Selina said, baring her fangs and hissing. She launched herself at him and he pushed her away, his eyes flashing, his own fangs visible. "Surprise," he said. She was so stunned that he pushed her off easily. At that moment, Alistair entered the room. "Has anyone seen my date?" He asked. "She—" he paused when he noticed Michael. Soon after, Michael began to scream, clutching his head. He rolled off Selina and Alistair gave her a hand up. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes," Selina breathed. "I'm fine." Then, she screamed as Matthew grabbed Alistair with one hand on the top of his head and the other on his neck. Before Alistair could cry out, Matthew snapped his neck and he crumbled to the floor. "Oh, my God," Selina breathed.

She stood frozen. Then, Matthew grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "What," she breathed. "Are you going to kill me too?"

"No," Matthew said, his gaze full of longing. "Do you honestly believe I would harm my own child?"

"I'm not your child," Selina breathed. "I'm sorry."

"All right, enough of this," Amelia snapped. She strode over to her daughter and grabbed her by the shoulders while Klaus tried to pull her away. He finally managed to succeed. Suddenly, the windows broke and the room was plunged into darkness.

Klaus cried out, and when the lights were back on again, Amelia was panting in a heap on the floor and Klaus had disappeared. Selina strode over to her. "Where's my husband?" Selina asked. "What did you do with him?"

Taking a deep breath, Amelia turned slowly toward Damon. "I didn't do anything to your husband. He's sitting right there." Damon reached out a hand to Selina, but she turned away. Slowly and painfully, Amelia got to her feet. "What's it going to take?" She asked. "What can I do to make you remember who you really are?"

"Nothing," Selina shook her head.

"Oh, come on," Elena said. "You said yourself that she looks familiar to you."

"I admit she does," Selina said.

"How did Klaus teach you about your life?" Elena asked.

"Alistair found boxes of stuff about me in the town archives. He took most of them back, but I've kept the photos," Selina said. "Or at least the me I created when I came here."

Elena and Stefan went up to get the boxes, and when they came downstairs, a startling sight met their eyes. Selina was crumpled on the floor, blood gushing from a cut in her head. Elijah, Stella and Amelia were kneeling over her.

"I'm sorry," Amelia said to Selina's prone body, her voice teary. "I don't know why I did it. It made me so angry to see you confused and I guess I just lost control." She looked at Elijah. "Do you think she's going to be all right?"

"Yes," Elijah nodded, pushing Selina's hair out of her eyes. "It was just a bump on the head."

It was then that Selina moaned. Her eyes opened a little. At the first sound, Michael and Damon, their enmity temporarily forgotten, rushed over and got on their knees beside her. "Mama?" She said weakly, looking at Amelia, "is that you?"

Amelia burst into relieved laugher, tears pouring from her eyes. "Yes, dear. I'm here." Selina's eyes changed focus. "And Damon too. How nice. I just had the strangest dream…" She trailed off, and her eyes closed again.

"Let's get her to a bed," Matthew said. "Tuck her in so she can rest up."

"You know," Elena said, "It's so convenient that Klaus disappeared just when Selina came back to herself."

"Yes," Elijah said darkly. "But don't celebrate just yet. He'll be back." He looked around the room. "So it would be best if you all watched yours."

"Some anniversary party," Damon quipped on the way up to the second level of the house. "One guest of honor disappears, the other gets knocked out, and to top it all off, we didn't even get cake."


	51. Coming Out of the Dark

When the group got up to the second level of the house, they went into the first room they saw and plunked Selina down on the bed. Amelia tucked her in and then turned to the rest of the group. "Who wants to stay here with her in case she wakes up?" She asked. "I really don't want to leave her on her own."

"I will," Michael and Damon said at the same time. Amelia shook her head. "It's nice that the two of you want to be helpful, but I don't think it's the best idea." She looked at her husband. "Matthew, would you mind?"

Matthew shook his head. "Of course not."

"What are the rest of us going to do, Aunt Amelia?" Michael asked. "Just sit and twiddle our thumbs until Selina gets better?"

"No," Amelia said, putting one hand in the center of his back and the other in the center of Damon's. "The two of you are going to go somewhere quiet and talk. You, Michael, are going to tell him what you told me about what happened when Selina was six, and for God's sake I hope that helps end all this foolishness between the two of you."

Damon and Michael glared at one another. "Fine," Damon said at last. "I'll go with him and we'll chat. But I doubt it will do any good."

Amelia looked at Elena. "Would you mind watching them while they talk to make sure they don't kill each other?"

Elena nodded. "Sure, Amelia." She followed Damon and Michael out the door. Then, Matthew put a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "Are you going to be all right?" He asked her.

Amelia went over to the bed and looked at Selina's still body, reaching out to move a lock of black hair out of her eyes. As her fingers touched Selina's forehead, Selina gasped and opened her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked. "What happened?"

"You were hurt," Amelia said.

"I know," Selina replied, sitting up slowly and rubbing her head. "You know, you hit _very_ hard."

"I'm sorry," Amelia said, sitting down next to her and giving her a hug. "But I just couldn't stand seeing you like that anymore. It was just pure dumb luck that it brought your memory back."

"Where's Damon?" Selina asked. "And what's Michael doing here?"

"Elijah wanted Michael to come aid in the fight against Klaus," Amelia said. "He figured it would be useful to have someone around who cared about you so much that he'd fight to the death for you. And Damon is with Michael and the two of them are having a frank discussion about why Michael is so protective of you."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave the two of them in a room together?" Selina asked. "You know how they are."

Amelia nodded. "That's why Elena's with them, to stop any potential trouble. Listen, before we went and saw Elijah, I went to the house to get Michael and he told me an interesting story. He said that when you were six and Jim tried to hurt you, you attacked him. Do you remember that?"

Selina gasped. "No, I don't. I remember Jim trying to carry me back to the slave quarters, but then nothing." She gasped. "Except that it was a full moon that night. Michael may be on to something."

"Don't worry about it," Amelia said quickly. "It happened so long ago that there's nothing that can be done now. I only asked because I was curious about what actually happened."

"All right," Selina nodded. "Sorry I can't tell you much."

"Are you really all right?" Matthew asked. "What's the last thing you remember before you woke up on the floor?"

"I was in the car with Andria and Elena, and then a song came on the radio. After that, the rest is blank. What happened?"

"Well," Amelia said, "For one thing, you tried to hand Elena over to Klaus. You've been his puppet since the accident. He took advantage of the fact that you had no memory of who you really were to try and get into your good graces so you'd help him fulfill his dream of overrunning the world with a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids."

Selina's eyes widened. "That doesn't sound good. At least I got my memory back before we did any actual procreating." She grabbed her mother's arm. "How angry do you think it's going to make him that I have my memory back? Is Klaus here right now? Should I fake still having amnesia so he won't get mad and kill people?"

"Calm down," Amelia ordered. "He's not here right now; I brought Mason, George and Jacob with me and I think they might have taken him away, at least for right now. That will give us time to think of a plan to keep him away from you and destroy him."

Just then, there was a sharp rap on the door. "Come in," Amelia called. Elijah entered. Seeing Selina awake, he strode toward the bed. "So glad to see you're up," he said. "Do you need to be updated on what conspired while you were on your mental vacation?"

Selina glared at him. "I would hardly call it a vacation," she said. "Your brother messed with my mind and tried to cozy up to me. I'm just lucky I didn't sleep with him!"

"Technically, he didn't mess with your mind," Damon said, peeking in the room. "He just took advantage of the fact that you didn't know any better and told you what he needed you to hear."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Wonderful." She looked at her mother. "May I get out of bed now?"

"In a bit," Amelia said. She looked at Damon. "Did you and Michael have a nice talk?"

"I learned some things," Damon admitted.

"Uh-huh," Amelia nodded. "I suppose it would be too much to ask for the two of you to become friends?"

"That'll never happen, Mama." Selina said. "But it wouldn't be too much to ask them to be civil." She looked at Damon. "Would it?"

Damon blinked and strode over to stand by her. "No," he said after a moment. "I guess it wouldn't." He paused and turned back to Amelia. "Could we have a few minutes alone? Selina and me, I mean."

"Of course," Amelia nodded and stood up. Elijah watched them for a moment before following Amelia toward the door. "Come downstairs after you're done," Elijah said. "We need to discuss our next course of action."

He closed the door behind him and Damon got down on his knees next to Selina's bed and took her hand. "Are you sure you're back to normal?" He asked.

"Yes," Selina nodded earnestly. "My name is Selina Amelia Elizabeth Warren. I was born on October 31st, 1846. Daddy was presumed dead by the family for years but was actually turned into a vampire by a woman named Lucy after becoming ill on the battlefield. He came to visit me every year, but he and Doctor Stensrund wiped my memory of the visits so I wouldn't scare my mother." She paused. "Why do you think I have trouble remembering those visits?" Selina asked. "Usually when a person becomes a vampire, they remember things they were compelled to forget."

Damon shrugged, touching the back of her hand lightly to his lips. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe it's because kids don't remember stuff from when they were real little anyway, even without compulsion."

Selina nodded. "Could be. Did I say anything to you while I was under Klaus' control that I might regret later?"

"It wasn't anything too bad," Damon said, standing back up and stretching out his arms. "He just told you that you two were married, and then you saw your real life story and assumed you'd made it all up to fit in better here, and that I was just some guy you slept with on the side."

"Ah," Selina nodded. "I bet that made you feel really good."

"Not really," Damon said earnestly. He held out his hand. "I'm just glad to have you back, sweetheart. Want me to help you come downstairs so we can make our plan of attack?"

Selina smiled and took his hand. He grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. "You don't have to do this," Selina protested. "I can walk." Then she noticed his arm muscles and grinned. "But if you _want_ to carry me down the stairs, I won't try and stop you."

Damon grinned back, knowing perfectly well the reason for her sudden change in attitude. "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me. You should be hit on the head more often."

"That's friendly," Selina said as he carried her down the stairs. "Don't you dare drop me. Or I'm going to hurt you." They reached the landing without a hitch and he set her down and took her hand, leading her into the living room.

"So where are we going to start?" Selina asked. "Do we have any idea where Klaus went? Or was taken? Or whatever?"

Elijah looked at Amelia. "I believe you can answer that."

"Yes," Amelia nodded. "The boys have him: George, Mason and Jacob were watching the house in case he tried to pull something and take you away. It's the perfect plan; I mean it's not like he can kill them or anything. And what could be worse?"

* * *

In the woods behind the house, the same woods where Selina had supposedly spent her first weeks of vampirism (she hadn't), George, Mason and Jacob were backed up against a tree, their muscles all tense, watching Klaus.

"What do the three of you think you can do to me?" He asked. "I'm invincible. I can't be killed. And even if you _could_ kill me, what would it do for you, really?" He began to circle the three of them. They stood quiet. "Well," Klaus got out. "Aren't you going to answer the question? What good would killing me do you?"

"It would keep you away from my niece," Jacob finally got out.

"Ah, yes," Klaus said. "Your niece; the beautiful Selina. What do you think she's doing right now?"

"Probably conspiring to get rid of you," George said.

"But why would she want to get rid of me?" Klaus asked coming so close to George that their chests were touching. "She's my wife; she loves me." He paused. "There's something you aren't telling me, is there?" He asked.

"Like what?" Mason spat. "What would we possibly want to tell you?"

Klaus grabbed his chin. "You've known her, haven't you?" He asked, shoving Mason backward into the tree. "You've reveled in her touch, looked on her body. But why? You are her cousin."

Mason managed to pull himself up and began coughing. "It wasn't real," he said when he could speak. "It was because of Michael. He was concerned about Selina's welfare when it came to dealing with the men of this town, so when it was discovered that he'd become a vampire and the townsfolk were coming to seal him away under the church, he went to see Emily Bennett, a witch, and asked her for a spell that would assure him that his family would watch over Selina always."

"And did it come to anything?" Klaus asked.

"I don't know," Mason said quickly. Klaus gave him a good hard slap. "Don't lie to me," he said. "Did the spell the witch cast come to anything?"

Mason glared at him for a moment before saying, "Yes. One Lockwood from every generation after Michael's was born with an unnatural longing for Selina. Lots of times, that longing went unsatisfied, but I was one of the lucky ones. I found her."

"And do you still want her?" Klaus asked. "Do you still feel that irresistible urge to get hold of her, take her off somewhere and have your way with her?"

Mason said nothing.

A slow grin spread over Klaus' face. "You _do_, don't you? I could arrange it."

George and Jacob put hands on Mason's shoulders and tried to pull him away. But Mason wouldn't budge. "Could you really do that?" He asked.

"Oh, yes." Klaus said. "But first, you have to tell me something: What would happen if Selina were to be bitten by a werewolf on a full moon?"

George and Jacob did their best to stop Mason from speaking, but he pushed them away. "She would become human," he said. "I know; I did it once."

Klaus' eyebrow rose. "Did you really?"

"Yeah," Mason nodded. "And it worked pretty darn well until certain_ people_ got in the way and wrecked everything."

"Well, well," Klaus said. "You can come with me. We have much to discuss. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

"So what exactly is it that you want me to do now that I have my memory back?" Selina asked.

Elijah turned to gaze at her. "The best thing for you to do now is pretend nothing has changed; go back to my brother as the wicked and adoring Solana. Perhaps he will tell you how he plans to carry out the sacrifice. And _that_ is information we need."

Selina sat down on the couch. "So I went through all hell to get my memory back and now I don't even get to do anything with it?"

Elijah shook his head. "It would be too dangerous for you to let on that you're no longer as easy for Klaus to manipulate as you once were. He could become angered, and if he goes anywhere near you when angered, then that could be the end of you, in spite of what he needs you for."

"Oh, all right," Selina sighed. "I'll go back to your brother acting the role of the ignorant submissive in hopes that he'll tell me what the plan for the sacrifice is."

Elijah nodded. "Good. This is too important. Don't do anything to screw it up."

Selina turned on her heel and headed out of Elijah's study. "I won't do anything out of step, I promise." She closed the study door and found Elena standing on the other side, her arms crossed and grinning. "You're going to screw it up, aren't you?"

Selina shrugged. "I can't help it; it's just the way I am."

As soon as she went on her way, there was another knock on the study door. Elijah looked up as Stella entered the room. "You haven't seen Andria, have you?" She asked. "I haven't heard a peep out of her all day and I can't find her anywhere."

* * *

Selina was waiting in their room at Doctor Stensrund's when she heard the knock on the door. Grinning, she stood up and went to answer the door. She opened it and found both Klaus and Alistair standing on the other side.

"Hello," she said calmly. "I was wondering when the two of you would be coming back. The anniversary party didn't exactly go off without a hitch, did it?"

"It went much better than you would think," Klaus said. "They thought they would be able to get ahead of us by killing Alistair, but because of that spell he has on him, the only being who can kill him is me."

"Is that so?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Klaus nodded, leaning in to kiss her.

"What happens now?" She asked as they pulled apart.

"Now, we ready ourselves for the sacrifice," Alistair said. "The next full moon is only a couple of days away, you know."

"Oh?" Selina said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I had no idea. Now just what do we have to do to get ready for the sacrifice? Do you need me to go get Elena for you?"

"It would be so nice if you would," Klaus nodded. "We need her to be the vampire I kill."

"Wait, just a minute!" she burst out. "If Elena is the vampire, then who the hell are you planning to use for the doppelganger? Whose blood are you going to take?"

"Yours," Klaus said calmly. "Don't worry, darling. It'll only take a minute, and be virtually painless. I'll make it quick, I promise."

"Hate to break it to you," Selina said, a slow smile curling her lips. "But I'm a vampire; you can't drink from me."

"I believe I can," Klaus said. "A friend of mine told me all about it." He got up and left the room, returning a minute later with Mason, fully in body, trailing behind him. "I believe the two of you know each other."

"Mason!" Selina said, nearly falling over. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Righting what's wrong," he said. "I tried once before and failed. I won't make that mistake again."

"Mason, stop being ridiculous," Selina said. "You can't still have "feelings" for me. Tyler got over it, why can't you?"

Mason frowned. "Has it ever occurred to you that I might not _want_ to be over it?" He snapped.

"Why do you want to spend the rest of your new life pursuing someone who doesn't even want you?" She asked. "You know who I want to be with forever. That isn't going to change, no matter what you do to Damon."

"What?" Klaus burst out and Selina turned. "Yes," she said defiantly. "I have my memory back. I won't be your puppet anymore."

"Hate to break it to you," Alistair said. "But we weren't planning on doing anything to Damon. It's _Elena_ we're interested in, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Selina said, glaring at him. "If you're trying to scare me, you're doing a horrible job. I've been through this 'get-bitten-by-a-werewolf-and-turn-human' thing more than once. It's practically routine for me by now."

"Good," Klaus said, smiling and coming up behind her, putting his arms around her waist and his lips very near her neck. "Then we won't have any trouble, will we?" He pulled back a little and sighed in anticipation. "Just think, Selina: The two of us forever, taking what we want, worshipped and feared by weaker souls. Would that be so bad?"

"Add in your using me to help stroke your male ego by forcing me to give birth to a bunch of vampire-werewolf hybrids, yes," Selina said. "That will be horrible. And I won't do it." She made a move to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist with one hand and her waist with the other and pulled her to him, sinking his fangs into her neck. She let out a scream and then he let her flop backward, placing her on the bed. Her eyes opened just barely and she moaned. "You don't have a choice," Klaus said. He turned to Mason. "Take care of her, will you?" he asked. "Don't let her out of your sight for the next two days."

* * *

That night, Alistair was awakened by a sudden knock at his bedroom door. He got up to open it. His eyes widened at the sight of Andria standing on the other side. "Can we talk?" She asked.

Alistair rubbed his eyes and turned the light on, leading her inside. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"I had to sneak away from my parents and then I jimmied the lock of the front door open with a hairpin," Andria said.

"And why are you here?" Alistair asked. "To apologize for standing me up at the party?"

"My parents found out and they wouldn't let me leave," Andria said. "I wanted to come, trust me. Anyway, that's not what I came about. I need to talk to Klaus and I was hoping you might help me see him."

Alistair frowned. "What do you need to talk to him about?"

"Well," Andria said, "Two of our guys came back today and told Elijah how Klaus plans to use Elena as the vampire in the sacrifice and I was wondering if he might consider using _me_ instead."

"_You?_" Alistair said, looking shocked. "What on earth would cause you to make such an offer?"

"Elena is Selina's best friend," Andria said. "And it would pain them both to be one without the other. If you use me, Klaus gets his vampire and Elena and Selina still get each other."

"It's a nice thought," Alistair said. "And very touching. But I think it would be best if you went home."

"Look," Andria said. "I was turned by Katerina Petrova. Would that change anything?"

Alistair's eyes widened again. "You were? I had no idea. That fact alone could make trade possible." He stood up and took her hand. "Come with me and we'll see."

* * *

Two days later, it was time. Everyone was ready. Elijah had met with George and Jacob and gotten the full account of Klaus' plan for the sacrifice. When he heard what was going to happen, Damon had to be locked in his room with Stefan as guard to stop him from doing anything foolish.

"Don't worry," Stefan said as Damon paced. "It won't turn out so bad. You know he isn't going to kill Selina."

Damon stopped pacing and turned to face him. "You're awfully calm about this," he said. "Aren't you worried about Elena and what Klaus is going to do to _her?"_

"I don't have any reason to be worried about Elena," Stefan said. "Elijah got a note from Alistair saying that Klaus doesn't want to use her in the ritual; that they'd gotten someone else instead. But even if that hadn't happened, I trust Elena's judgment about this. I trust that she can make the right decision."

Damon groaned and turned to face his brother. "I can't take much more of this!" He said. "I'm going to lose my mind before this is all over."

"Klaus _needs_ Selina," Stefan said. "He wouldn't kill her permanently. The worst that could happen is that you end up with a wife who's a vampire-werewolf hybrid. That's better than her being dead, right?"

Damon sat down hard on the bed. "You're right," he said. "But I still don't like this. I don't like this at all."

* * *

"Is it time to go?" Selina asked Klaus.

He looked at her for a moment, at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "Don't look so down," he said. "After this is all over, you'll be happy as never before." He opened the front door. Squaring her shoulders, Selina headed out the front door and got into the car.

They drove to a field that was just outside of the town. "Oh, look," Klaus said. "Everyone else is here. Alistair did a wonderful job getting this prepared, didn't he?" Klaus parked the car and pulled Selina out, dragging her along behind him. "We're here," he announced to Alistair. "How much longer to we have?"

Alistair looked up at the sky. "Another hour, I'd say."

"Isn't that nice?" Klaus asked. Selina glared at him and removed her jacket. She was wearing a low cut white dress with capped sleeves. "You're so beautiful," Klaus said. "Just like the sacrificial would-be virgin you are."

"Gee, thanks," Selina said dryly. She looked over and gasped as she noticed the other person there. "Andria," she breathed. She grabbed Alistair by the collar. "What the hell is she doing here? You weren't supposed to sacrifice her!"

"She made a deal," Alistair said. "Her life for Elena's. She apparently thought that you'd be happier if you came back from this and Elena wasn't dead, so she came to us two nights ago and offered to take Elena's place." He grimaced.

Selina glared at him for a moment before striding over to where Andria stood. She punched her on the shoulder. "Are you out of your freaking mind?" She whispered angrily. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Don't pester me about this," Andria said, her causing Selina to start. "It's my decision and nothing is going to change my mind."

"Do your parents know you're doing this?" Selina asked. "What about your mother? Stella was a bad enough wreck when she thought you were dead before. When she finds out you're _actually _dead, she might just get upset enough to end it all."

Andria's face was expressionless. "Then it won't be long before we meet again, will it?"

As the moon rose, Selina shut her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to control her sudden urge to kill everyone in sight. Alistair chanted and two rings of fire appeared. Andria stood in one. The other remained empty. "Who's supposed to be in that one?" Selina whispered.

"Our werewolf," Alistair said. "You'll see him in a minute." All of a sudden, Selina heard the deep, guttural growl that never failed to chill her to the bone. She turned and saw the wolf stand before her. "Mason," she breathed. She got down on her knees. "Go ahead," she told him. "I'm not going to fight you."

The wolf cocked his head and did nothing. Klaus came up behind her, holding a stone that supposedly helped with werewolf transformations. "Come on, Selina. Challenge him a little. For the hunter, there's nothing more thrilling then when the prey runs." He pulled her up and plunged a small stake into her back. "Run," he said. "If you don't want another one." He paused. "But wait," he said. "We still have to do one more thing. Slowly, he put his lips to her neck and bit down. As he drank, she screamed. Then, he let her go, handing her a silver knife. "Here's something to fight back with."

She ran and the wolf gave chase. Just as they were about to head into a nearby patch of trees, the wolf sprung and pinned Selina to the ground. Once again, drool was dripping down his chin. Selina plunged the knife into his side, wounding him, but he was still able to sink his fangs into her. As she breathed her temporary last, Alistair, still chanting, grabbed Mason and threw him into the other circle. Klaus stabbed him with Selina's silver knife and he fell, dead.

Then, Alstair pulled a stake from the pocket of his coat and plunged it into Andria's heart, his face barely changing as she screamed. Then, once she was silent, the realization of what he'd just done hit him. He looked at Andria's still body, turned and ran out of the clearing.

Just as Klaus' transformation was coming to a head, he was suddenly knocked to the ground. He looked up, shocked. "Elijah," he whispered.

"Hello, brother," Elijah replied. Before Klaus could say another word, Elijah produced the white ash dagger and plunged it into his brother's chest. Klaus was still. When Elijah was sure that his brother was no longer alive, he got up and hurried to Selina's side. Her eyes were closed, but she was breathing again. He opened one eye. It looked strange. He cut his wrist and let blood drip into her mouth, breathing a sigh of relief as her fangs began to lengthen. He pulled her up to a sitting position and her eyes opened. "How do you feel?" He asked. Selina eyed him. "Better than I have in a long time," she said.


	52. Here Comes the Sun

Elijah helped her up and they walked to his car. He helped her in, and just as he was about to get in himself, Selina said "What about Andria? Her body's still over in the field. Don't you think we should take it with us so Stella and her husband can say goodbye?"

Elijah's hand paused on the door and he nodded. "All right," he said. He came back a few minutes later, carrying Andria's body which was wrapped in his coat so Selina wouldn't have to look at it. Then, he set it down gently in the trunk and closed the door.

As they drove back to the hideout, Selina asked, "What am I now?"

"You're a hybrid," Elijah said matter-of-factly. "A combination of werewolf and vampire."

"I know that," Selina said. "That's the way it's always been. But it's official now?"

Elijah nodded. "I'm afraid so. Do you have anyone who can help you with this?" He asked.

Selina shrugged. "It's not something the family really talks about, you know? After what happened to Uncle Jacob, I mean. He did a bunch of research, activated his werewolf gene, and then one night when my mother was around eight, Uncle Jacob, who was her older brother, inadvertently killed someone while transformed. The townsfolk hunted him down and shot him full of silver bullets. They wouldn't let him be buried in the normal cemetery, so my grandfather just buried him in what we call "the vault." It's under the old house and very hidden away from everything."

"And your uncle was buried in his wolf form?" Elijah asked, his voice ending on a rising note.

"Yes," Selina nodded. "Why?"

"Because," Elijah said, "I was thinking of doing one more resurrection like that of your parents and your cousin. Since this happened to you and you say your family doesn't acknowledge it, but your uncle does, he could be an asset to you."

"But don't you think people will find it odd if a bunch of the townsfolk who lived more than a hundred years ago turn up alive again?" Selina asked.

"Four hardly constitutes 'a bunch'," Elijah said. "Besides, it's been so long since your uncle was alive that I bet no one really remembers what he looks like anyway. And even if they do, there are ways to alter one's appearance."

"You have a good point," Selina said. "I would feel much better about this if Uncle Jacob was around in the flesh. I'll admit that right now."

"All right then," Elijah said. "Then it's settled.

"But wait," Selina said. "He died while in wolf form, so we can't just dig him up like we did with the others. What are you going to do about that?"

"I have my ways," Elijah said.

Selina shifted in her chair, twisting around so she could get a better view of the bundle covered by Elijah's coat. "Next order of business," she said quietly, feeling the lump rise in her throat, "Who's going to tell Stella that Andria is really and truly dead?"

"I will," Elijah said. "I think the best thing for you would be to see Damon straighaway and reassure him that you're all right; altered, but otherwise unscathed. He gave us quite a bit of trouble when we wouldn't let him come after you."

"Where is he now?" Selina asked.

"We have him in one of the upstairs rooms of the hideout house. Stefan's guarding him and we had to sedate him with vervain so he wouldn't do anything rash."

"How much vervain?" Selina asked. "A lot?"

"Enough," Elijah said. "But he'll come back to himself soon."

"Poor Andria," Selina said quietly. "Watching her die was like watching myself die." She wiped her eyes. "Why would she do that for me? We barely knew each other."

"But you're family," Elijah said. "And if you can't depend on your family, then you don't have much left." He pulled a handkerchief out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her to dab her eyes with.

"Thank you," Selina said. "I won't blow my nose, I promise." She put it to her eyes, dabbed, and then burst out giggling. It was a release of emotion that took a little while to stop. When she finally got her breath, she gave Elijah his handkerchief back. "I assume we're going to the hideout?" Selina asked.

Elijah nodded. "We are."

They sat in silence for the rest of the ride with Selina trying her hardest not to look at Andria's body in the backseat. When they reached their destination, Elijah parked the car and ordered Selina inside. "Once you're inside and upstairs, I'll bring Andria's body in and give Stella the bad news," Elijah told her.

"Wait," Selina said. "Maybe I _should _be the one to tell her; then it might not be so difficult to hear."

"All right," Elijah said while Selina headed inside. She was met by Amelia and Matthew who were standing tensely just inside the front door. When they saw her they threw their arms around her.

"You're all right, thank God!" Amelia cried out. She let Selina go and studied her closely. "You _are_ all right, aren't you?"

"I'm slightly altered, but otherwise fine," Selina said.

Amelia frowned. "'Slightly altered?' What does that mean?"

"Well," Selina said, "Klaus had this stone that helped him activate his werewolf side and when that happened, he pulled me in to, so the stone affected both of us. At least I didn't have to kill anyone."

Amelia looked like she was about to cry. "You mean, you're a—"

"Go ahead and say it, Mama," Selina said. "It's really not that difficult. Yes, I'm a werewolf now. At least partly."

Amelia sat heavily on the steps of the entryway staircase. "All those years," she said. "All those years of protecting you from the curse of my family and they came to nothing."

Selina sat next to her. "They didn't come to _nothing_," she said. "You did the best you could; you knew I was going to find out eventually. But here's the good part about this; I'm not going to be alone. I'm lucky enough to have people that care about me and will help me through this. Elijah said he'd bring back Uncle Jacob to help me out, and Tyler and Caroline are around, and Damon of course. I can count on you too, can't I?" Selina took her mother's hand.

"Of course," Amelia said wearily. "I got you into this mess. The least I can do is help you adjust to it."

"Aren't you going to tell Damon?" Matthew asked, just as three sharp raps sounded on the front door.

"Yes," Selina nodded, letting go of Amelia's hand and standing up. "I better get upstairs and give Damon the good news."

She raced up the stairs before she realized she didn't know which room he was in. "Where is he?" She called back down the stairs.

"Third door on the right," Matthew called back.

* * *

Selina knocked on that door and Stefan opened the door as soon as she took her hand off, putting his arms around her and pulling her in. "I'm so glad you're okay," he said.

"He's not the only one," Elena said, coming to meet her. "What happened?"

"Well," Selina took her hand, beginning to tear up. "Andria was the vampire who was sacrificed in your place. She's dead now."

"Oh, God," Elena said, putting her arms around Selina. "I can only imagine what it must have been like to watch her die."

Selina sniffled. "You can probably do more than imagine," she said. "It couldn't have been a picnic finding Katherine's body after Stella killed her."

Elena nodded. "That was hard. But it's not like I actually _watched_ Stella kill her."

Selina let Elena go and turned back to Stefan. "My father said Damon was in here, but it doesn't look like it."

Stefan shook his head. "We put him back in your room. He's been resting."

"Elijah said you had to sedate him pretty heavily to keep him from running away."

"Yeah," Stefan nodded. "But I _know_ he'll be happy when he sees that you're all right."

"You know, I am," Selina said. "Slightly altered, but all right."

"Slightly altered?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "When Klaus went through his werewolf transformation, he pulled me in too, so now I'm a little wolf and a little vamp. Mama's not too happy about it, but there you go."

Elena's eyes widened. "So you're like the superwoman now?"

Selina laughed a little. "I guess." She turned and made for the door. "Can we come with you?" Elena asked. "Or do you want to see him alone?"

"Let's start with alone for now, and you two can come in in ten minutes."

She left the room and headed next door. The door was unlocked and she walked inside, expecting to see Damon lying in bed. Instead, he was standing by the window, staring morosely out.

"I'm I interrupting anything?" Selina asked, clearing her throat.

At the sound of her voice, he started so bad he almost fell over. "Selina," he said when he'd straightened himself out.

"Are you all right?" She asked, coming to stand next to him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not that," Damon said, taking her hand. "It's just that I thought for sure you weren't going to make it through the night. Or that you were, and by the time you were done, you wouldn't want me anymore."

Selina put her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. "I'm always going to want you. And need you too, especially now."

"Why?" Damon asked. "What happened?" She looked up at him and the tears that had been threatening to fall since she'd first gotten into Elijah's car came spilling out. "Andria's dead," she said. "She offered herself to Klaus as a replacement vampire for Elena in the sacrifice and he accepted. Oh, God. It was like watching myself die!"

Damon held on to her and guided her to the bed, his body shaking a little because he was still a little weak from the vervain. "Why would she do that?" he asked.

Selina shrugged. "I don't know; maybe she did it because she didn't want me existing without my best friend. She was wrong about that though."

Damon frowned. "But Elena _is_ your best friend."

"She's my best _girl_ friend," Selina corrected. "Not my complete, all-around best friend."

"Well who's your complete, all-around best friend?" Damon asked.

Selina looked up at him through eyes that were still wet with tears. "You are," she said. "You know me better than anyone else in this whole world. When something bad happens to me, you know exactly how to make it better, don't you?"

Damon smiled. "A bottle of whisky, a good night's rest and a chat over a hangover remedy in the morning."

Selina laughed. "That's correct. Elena would probably want to make me talk about it, and I'm never ready to right away." She paused. "Do you think we have any whisky around here?"

A slow grin spread over Damon's lips. "You really want to do that when your parents are right down stairs?"

"Honestly, I think that's what Mama needs right now too," Selina said. "I don't think she'll object too much. You get whatever alcohol you can get your hands on and bring it back here."

* * *

Early the next morning, just as the sun came up, Selina went to the upstairs study to tell Stella and her husband about Andria. She had to steel herself before she knocked on the study door. When Stella, looking tired and haggard, opened it, Selina nearly lost her nerve. She could tell just by looking at Stella that she'd been drinking. A lot. "Can I come in?" She asked quietly.

Stella said nothing but gestured to her. Selina stepped inside. Stella's husband was sitting on the couch, his hand wrapped around the neck of an open bottle of red wine. "What do you want?" He asked.

"I have news about Andria," Selina said.

Stella's eyes widened and she grabbed Selina by the sleeves of her dress, pulling so hard that one of them tore. "Is she alive? Where is she?"

Selina bit her lip. "She's dead," Selina said. "She offered to take Elena's place as the vampire in the sacrifice so that I wouldn't have to be without Elena and Alistair staked her."

Stella stared at her for a moment, then turned quickly around and snatched the wine bottle out of her husband's hand, finishing it off without coming up for air. When she finally pulled the bottle away, her mouth was stained with red. Then, she strode toward the French doors that led from the study to a side balcony, threw them open so the room filled with light, twisted her ring off, threw it behind her, and made to go outside. But just as her feet touched the shaft of light over the threshold, her husband grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back. She was sobbing in earnest, crying out in nonsensical Italian. Finally, her husband gave her a sound slap across the face and she quieted.

Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped the tears from her eyes, and kissed her lightly on the lips. "Calm down," he said.

"Did you not hear what Selina just said?" Stella asked him in a tone of disbelief. "She told us our daughter is dead! Does that not move you at all?"

"Yes," he said, his black eyes flashing. He took Stella's hand and led her to where Selina stood. "Look at her," he said. "What do you see?"

Selina smiled and tried not to cry.

"I see Andria," Stella said. "Especially when she smiles."

"Exactly," Stella's husband said. "Andria's not gone forever. She's here."

"And this time, she chose to die," Selina said. "She was doing it to help me. She wasn't taken against her will. And she died quickly; she didn't suffer."

Stella nodded. "At least I have that to hold on to." She took a deep breath, picking her ring up from the floor and putting it back on. "What happened to her body? Can I at least say goodbye, or was it destroyed during the sacrifice?"

"Her body is here," Selina said. "I had Elijah bring it back with us. He's downstairs, I believe."

"Thank you," Stella said. "So much."

Selina nodded and Stella and her husband left the study to go have one last look at Andria's body. Once they'd gone and closed the door behind them, Selina took a deep breath and looked around the study. A knock at the door startled her. "Come in," she called.

Damon entered the room carrying two glasses of orange juice. "How did Stella take the news?" he asked. "Not well, I bet."

"No," Selina shook her head and took a seat in the brown leather chair behind the desk. "She finished off most of a bottle of red wine and then took off her ring and would have gone right through the French doors if her husband hadn't stopped her. She was really upset, but that's no surprise. Then her husband reminded her that Andria and I look exactly alike, and I told her that Andria's death had been quick, which was kind of a lie, but whatever, and she came back to herself. They're downstairs saying goodbye to Andria now."

"Good," Damon said. "Do you want this?" He asked, handing her the glass of orange juice.

"Does it have vodka in it?" Selina asked.

"Of course," Damon nodded. Selina downed it and gazed back at him. "Thanks," she said. "I needed that." Just then, her cell phone rang. She picked up. Caroline was on the other end. Apparently everyone at the mansion was desperate to know if she was all right, including Tyler, and would she mind coming by with Damon later in the day to ease everyone's minds?

"Sure," Selina said. "We'll be over after lunch, around one. Would that be all right?" She put the phone down and looked at Damon. "Everyone at the mansion is worried about me. Would you mind coming over with me after lunch?"

"Sure," Damon said. "I don't mind; it's not like I have anything better to do."

* * *

They headed over to the Lockwood mansion and were met at the door by Tyler and Caroline. "Are you really okay?" Caroline asked Selina as she ushered the two of them inside.

"Why wouldn't she be okay?" Tyler asked. "She's like superwoman now."

"It could have been hard to go through the process," Caroline said through her teeth. "And I bet she had to watch somebody die."

"Yeah," Selina nodded. "I did, but it wasn't Elena. It was somebody else. And when I told Mama about what happened, well to say that she was less than happy is a bit of an understatement."

"But you can't really blame her, can you?" Tyler asked. "You turning was probably the _last_ thing she ever wanted."

"Yeah," Selina said. "But it's happened, and we can only move forward."

"Who was it that bit you?" Tyler asked.

"Mason of course," Selina said."He and Klaus 'bonded' and then Klaus tricked him into becoming the werewolf for the sacrifice, so even though Mason got his body back for a little while, he's dead now. Again."

"Selina." Selina turned at the sound of her name. "Oh, my god," she breathed. "You're here."

Jacob Lockwood, her mother's brother, was standing before her, his dark hair ruffling a little from the air conditioning. "Elijah told me you were going to be needing my help. What did you do to yourself now?"

"You know," Selina said.

He nodded. "But sarcasm is lost on the young, isn't it?" He asked.

"Wait a minute," Tyler said, gazing at Jacob. "You're alive, Aunt Amelia's alive, Charlie didn't come back too, did he?"

Jacob grinned. "No," he said. "And that, trust me, is a good thing." He turned his gaze back to Selina. "How are you feeling?"

"Not bad," Selina said. "How should I be feeling?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. But if you feel like you do the day of a full moon, then we're in trouble."

"No," Selina shook her head. "I feel normal, thank you." She stepped forward and looked up at her uncle. "So what happens now?" she asked. "What can I expect?"

"Well," Jacob said, "You won't have to make that many adjustments, although now that you're officially both, you might want to come here during full moons so that George and Michael can watch out for you, Tyler, and me, and make sure we don't kill anyone...else."

"All right," Selina said. "I can do that. Usually we just lock me up in my room at the boardinghouse, but since I could now cause Damon endless pain and agony without knowing it until it's too late if he's around me during a full moon, it would probably be better if I got away from him for awhile and came here."

"It would be," Jacob nodded, "My mind would be more at ease, anyway."

Selina grinned and took Tyler's hand in one of hers and Jacob's in the other. "This will be such fun," she said. "The three of us chained up together in the vault once a month."

"It could be a new reality show," Tyler agreed. "I don't know what we'd call it, though."

"I take it back," Jacob said. "Sarcasm _isn't_ wasted on the young."

"Would you come back with us after we've told everyone else I'm okay?" Selina asked her uncle. "Mama's very upset right now and needs some reassurance."

"Of course," Jacob nodded. "I'd be glad to, if that's what she needs."

* * *

An hour later, Selina, Damon, Tyler, Caroline and Jacob drove back to the hideout. It was practically empty now, and they were told that Amelia and Matthew had gone to the boardinghouse. They went there, and went Amelia saw Jacob, she ran at him and threw herself into his arms.

"It's going to be all right," he told her. "I promise I won't let anything bad happen to your daughter."

"I know you won't," Amelia said. "Thank you."

The other four found Stefan and Elena playing cards in one of the living rooms and asked to be dealt in. As they played, Selina got an idea. "Listen," she said, looking around the table. "All of us have been through a lot lately and I think we should celebrate getting out of it all alive? How about all of us go to that new restaurant that opened down the street from the Grill? They serve Polynesian and they have luaus every weekend."

"Wow," Tyler said. "Dinner and a show?" He looked at Caroline, who nodded. "Looks like we're in," he said.

"Us too," Elena said, looking at Stefan.

"And I've never been one to pass up a pig with a mouth full of apple," Damon said. "Let's do it."

They spent the rest of the day watching movies in the den and as the sun was going down, Selina looked out the window. "Look," she said softly. "There goes the sun."

"But," Damon whispered into her hair. "It's all right."

A/n- End of the main series! I will definitely be writing more stories about Selina in the future, but they won't have anything to do with this bunch. Also, I'd like to thank all my readers and reviewers from throughout the series. Your support is awesome and very appreciated! The first story of the next series is called "Dark Angel".


End file.
